Catherine Connolly: “I will be an inclusive president for all”
Catherine Connolly has been elected as the president of Ireland after a landslide victory.
She has become the 10th president of the Republic of Ireland after defeating Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys, who had already conceded to her rival.
The result, long clear from early tallies, was officially declared at Dublin Castle.
Connolly – an independent who was backed by the major left-wing parties – pledged to be “an inclusive president for all” in her acceptance speech.
The 68-year-old, from Galway, has been a TD (member of the Irish parliament) since 2016.
She will be the country’s 10th president, taking over from Michael D Higgins who has served the maximum two terms in office
Connolly secured 914,143 first preference votes (63%), the largest amount in Irish presidential election history.
She made her acceptance speech first in Irish and then in English.
“I will be a president who listens and reflects and who speaks when it’s necessary,” she said.
“I will be a voice for peace, a voice that builds on our policy of neutrality, a voice that articulates the existential threat posed by climate change, and a voice that recognises the tremendous work being done the length and breadth of the country.”
Dublin correspondent Gabija Gataveckaite said Connolly was the anti-establishment candidate who took on Humphreys, the government’s pick.
She said in recent weeks, Connolly had been insisting her campaign was a “movement” and she has now won a clear mandate from the people.
Reuters
Heather Humphreys shook hands with Catherine Connolly, whose family joined her on the stage
Humphreys, who spoke after Connolly, thanked everyone who voted for her, her campaign team and Fine Gael for the nomination.
“I know Catherine will be a president for all of us. Catherine will be my president and I want to wish her well, this is her evening,” she said.
The president of Ireland is the country’s head of state. They represent the country abroad, take centre stage at major national events, and are responsible for ensuring that the constitution – the set of rules for government and politics – is followed.
While the president’s powers are limited, the office-holder’s influence can be profound.
Connolly will be inaugurated on 11 November with Higgins leaving office the day before.
‘Woman with a very independent mind’
Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said an “outstanding honour” had been bestowed upon Connolly.
“The people have spoken resoundingly and given Catherine a tremendous majority and a very clear mandate,” he said.
Tánaiste (Ireland’s deputy prime minister) Simon Harris said: “The great thing about this country is that we live in enduring democracy.
“We have an election, we go at it hammer and tongs and then we come together proudly behind the winner of the election.”
Earlier he acknowledged the high level of spoiled votes, saying he saw “people going to quite a lot of effort to spoil their ballot”.
Sinn Féin, the main opposition party in the Irish parliament, gave its support to Connolly after deciding not to run its own candidate.
The party’s president Mary Lou McDonald described the result as a “stunning victory” and said Connolly needed the support of her party in the presidential election campaign.
Speaking at Dublin Castle on Saturday, Ms McDonald said: “It is a victory for the combined opposition over the jaded worn-out politics of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.
“Sinn Féin as the largest political party, of course it was a significant element of the campaign.
“And Catherine has asserted quite correctly that she is an independent candidate, a woman with a very independent mind.”
Connolly sought out to establish herself as a united Ireland candidate and said she would like to see a border poll on the island of Ireland during her presidency, which runs for seven years.
In Northern Ireland, First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the win marked “an era of hope”.
“This election has shown what can be achieved when parties committed to change and progress work together in common purpose,” she said.
“That is the clear pathway to a better, united future.”
June Lockhart, the perennial TV mom who consoled her son Timmy and his faithful pet collie in “Lassie” and explained the unfolding galaxy to her children in the kitschy prime-time sci-fi show “Lost in Space,” has died.
Active in Hollywood well into her 90s, Lockhart died Thursday in Santa Monica of natural causes, with daughter June Elizabeth and granddaughter Christianna by her side, said her publicist, Harlan Boll.
She was 100.
Upbeat and bubbly, Lockhart happily accepted playing second-fiddle to children, animals and even a robot. In “Lassie,” she was most often seen teaching her son small life lessons extracted from his misadventures, often saved from peril by his faithful dog. In “Lost in Space,” she was a biochemist who seemed to spend most of her time prepping meals in the galley or tending to the children as the “Swiss Family Robinson”-like clan drifted randomly in space.
“Motherhood has been a pretty good dodge for me,” Lockhart told The Times, years after the shows went off the air. “I seem to have outlasted most of my colleagues because of it.”
Cast members of the TV show “Lost in Space” pose in costume in this 1965 publicity photo. Seated is Marta Kristen; standing, from left, is Mark Goddard, June Lockhart and Guy Williams.
(AP / CBS)
June Kathleen Lockhart was born on June 25, 1925, in New York City and grew up in a family steeped in the arts. Her father was a Broadway actor and her mother a singer. For years the family staged a seasonal production of “A Christmas Carol” in their home, inviting neighbors, friends and relatives to attend.
In 1938, the family went a step further and took their by now well-polished version of the Charles Dickens classic to film with a young Lockhart cast as Belinda Cratchit. The movie was all of one hour and nine minutes long.
Lockhart attended the Westlake School for Girls after the family moved to Los Angeles, where her father hoped to find a career as a film actor. But it was Lockhart who cracked Hollywood by landing modest but frequent roles on popular television shows such as “Wagon Train,” “Gunsmoke” and “Rawhide.”
In 1958, she was cast as Ruth Martin, the patient and good-natured mother on “Lassie,” a role that earned her an Emmy nomination. The show ran for 17 seasons, making it one of the longest-running prime-time shows on television. Lockhart left the series in 1964 to pursue other opportunities.
Lockhart realized the show had its limitations. “It was a fairy tale about people on a farm in which the dog solves all the problems in 22 minutes, just in time for the last commercial,” she told The Times.
The scripts were only slightly more challenging in “Lost in Space,” which followed the adventures of a family aboard a saucer-shaped spaceship headed to an Earth-like planet circling a faraway star. She left the show after three years and joined the cast of “Petticoat Junction” as a medical doctor who sets up practice in a worse-for-wear hotel in the middle of nowhere.
Earlier in life, Lockhart had been a regular on the news quiz show “Who Said That?” in which contestants were read a quote and asked to guess who said it. Lockhart had been absorbed by journalism and newsmakers since childhood, when she started a neighborhood newspaper. As an adult she subscribed to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times, reading them from beginning to end.
To prep for the show, she began cutting out quotes from the newspapers and memorizing them. One of the panelists on the show, a White House reporter for United Press International, was so impressed with Lockhart‘s grasp of politics that he invited her to a White House briefing.
Lockhart went on to become an unofficial member of the White House press corps, attending briefings, traveling with the Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy entourages during their presidential showdown and hitting the campaign trail with Ronald Reagan.
June Lockhart in 1965.
(CBS via Getty Images)
During her years as an informal White House correspondent, she was called on only once to ask a question during a presidential briefing, asking President George W. Bush for the name of the veterinarian who cared for the first family’s dog, Barney. Bush chuckled and said it was top secret.
Though she never had another prime-time role as big as in “Lassie” or “Lost in Space,” her career was remarkably long. She was the kindergarten teacher on “Full House,” James Caan’s mother on “Las Vegas,” a mother once again on “The Drew Carey Show” and a hospice worker on “Grey’s Anatomy.” For years she hosted coverage of the Rose Parade on CBS.
Her final credit arrived in 2018, when she voiced a radio communications officer in the “Lost in Space” reboot on Netflix. Twice married and divorced, Lockhart is survived by daughters June Elizabeth and Anne, as well as four grandchildren, said longtime family friend, Lyle Gregory.
Oct. 25 (UPI) — Kamela Harris said she may run again for U.S. president in the 2028 election.
The interview will be broadcast Sunday on the BBC and excerpts were released on Saturday.
The former vice president told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that her grandnices would “in their lifetime for” see a woman in the White House and “possibly” it could be her.
“I am not done,” Harris said. “I have lived my entire career as a life of service and it’s in my bones.”
Harris, who turned 61 on Monday, said she hasn’t made a decision yet, more than three years before the election.
Harris lost to Donald Trump in the 2024 election after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, just than a month before the Democratic convention.
Her book, 107 days, released on Sept. 23, details the short length of her campaign.
Harris dismissed polls that have her trailing in the Democratic nomination behind California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“If I listened to polls I would have not run for my first office, or my second office – and I certainly wouldn’t be sitting here,” said Harris, the former California senator, attorney general and state attorney who challenged Biden for the top spot on the ticket in 2020.
Harris again criticized her 2024 opponent, calling him a “tyrant.”
The White House responded to Harris’s comments.
“When Kamala Harris lost the election in a landslide, she should’ve taken the hint –the American people don’t care about her absurd lies,” spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said.
“Or maybe she did take the hint and that’s why she’s continuing to air her grievances to foreign publications.”
Trump defeated Harris in the popular vote, 77.3 million to 75 million, and the Electoral College vote 312-226.
She noted warnings about him while campaigning have come true.
For example, “He said he would weaponize the Department of Justice – and he has done exactly that.”
And she noted changes to other agencies.
“You look at what has happened in terms of how he has weaponised, for example, federal agencies going around after political satirists … His skin is so thin he couldn’t endure criticism from a joke, and attempted to shut down an entire media organisation in the process.”
Business leaders and institutions are wrong to bow to the president’s demands, she said.
“There are many… that have capitulated since day one, who are bending the knee at the foot of a tyrant, I believe for many reasons, including they want to be next to power, because they want to perhaps have a merger approved or avoid an investigation.”
In July, Harris said she won’t run for California governor in 2026.
“For now, my leadership – and public service – will not be in elected office,” Harris said at the time.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Army installations within the lower 48 states will have operating nuclear microreactors starting in the fall of 2028 if the Army’s Janus program moves forward on schedule. The addition of nuclear power will diversify the energy sources available on military bases and provide a critical enhancement to their resiliency, the Army says.
“What resilience means to us is that we have power, no matter what, 24/7,” Dr. Jeff Waksman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, said during a media roundtable attended by TWZ at last week’s Association of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) main annual conference.
Waksman’s comments followed a briefing earlier in the day at which Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll and Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Christopher Wright jointly announced the launch of the Janus Program.
“The U.S. Army is leading the way on fielding innovative and disruptive technology,” Driscoll said. “We are shredding red tape and incubating next-generation capabilities in a variety of critical sectors, including nuclear power.”
Janus is the Army’s plan to realize President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14299, titled “Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security,” which directs the Department of War to commence operation of an Army-regulated nuclear reactor at a domestic military installation no later than September 30, 2028.
Some time in the next few weeks, barring a long extension of the government shutdown, the Army will release an Area of Interest (AOI) solicitation with a draft request for proposals (RFP) attached, according to Waksman. An industry day event thereafter will give the Army feedback on potential microreactor approaches and contact with interested companies and startups.
A competition will follow, after which the Army expects to select multiple companies to build and deliver microreactor prototypes to an initial batch of base/installation sites (likely nine sites) yet to be determined. The companies selected will each be given one Army site to deliver their prototypes to, and each firm will be required to build two reactors.
“They will build one, and then in a staggered fashion, build a second,” Waksman explained. “The reason why we’re doing that is because you have to get to Nth-of-a-kind to have a commercial product. [By Nth-of-a-kind Waksman means multiple units of a product or, in this case, reactor.] We want to see that these companies have a path to get from their first prototype to the second one and beyond to the Nth-of-a-kind.”
The program is named for Janus, an ancient Roman god of beginnings, gates, and transitions. Accordingly, its approach is about transitioning from one-off prototypes to multiple-unit commercial systems, Waksman added.
It dovetails with an initiative announced by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) last April called Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations (ANPI). It also seeks to field nuclear microreactors that can supplement energy sources at DoW installations, whose power is typically drawn from commercial grids.
DIU is a partner in Janus and will contribute funding to the program. It will also act as the contracting officer, and Janus will use its contracting authorities. However, the Army will conduct program management. Waksman says Janus will have different technical requirements than ANPI and reflect changes in the nuclear power market, including new entrants that have emerged since last spring.
Hovering in the background is yet another nuclear project called Pele, which emerged from the DoD’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) in 2022. The stated intent there was to “design, build, and demonstrate a prototype mobile nuclear reactor within five years.”
(U.S. Army)
Pele was envisioned as potentially transportable operational nuclear energy, and the project continues with integrator BWXT, which is in the process of manufacturing and delivering the first advanced microreactor. The transportable nuclear reactors developed for Pele are designed to be transported within four 20-foot shipping containers, allowing them to be potentially moved to areas where the military or government may need to stand up power generation infrastructure to support military or other operations.
While Pele is developmentally interesting, Waksman said, “We do not at this time see nuclear power as a tactical application.” This is largely because tactical reactor development drives up cost, and there is currently no need for megawatt power at the combat edge, Waksman explained.
As such, Janus microreactors will go to domestic installations to bolster energy supply, and some certainly have unique needs for power beyond redundancy. For example, remote Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska relies on a 70-year-old coal-fired power plant on the base for its primary energy needs. Since 2021, the Air Force has been working to at least demonstrate a small nuclear reactor at Eielson for exactly this reason.
A locomotive from the Central Heat and Power Plant (CHPP) sits outside Dec. 21, 2016, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The CHPP produces enough energy to power around 9,100-13,000 homes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Isaac Johnson) Airman Isaac N. Johnson
A next step beyond could see the deployment of small nuclear reactors to strategic support areas, which could range from the Indo-Pacific periphery, from Hawaii to Pacific islands, for instance, as well as other locales. However, Waksman stresses the need to complete the first phase before further extending the program.
Energy resilience is the core of Janus. Waksman observed that on Army installations and other service installations, power resiliency is currently 100 percent provided by fossil fuels. Renewable power generation exists on some installations, but is not considered highly resilient, nor a primary source of energy. He added that every grid globally is reliant on a base-load power source – fossil fuel, geothermal, hydropower, or nuclear.
“Unless you’re in one of the few places in the world where geothermal is viable or you have a dam nearby, your only choices are nuclear or fossil fuel at this time…There’s just no ability to have a grid that works solely on solar and wind and batteries at this point.”
The production platform for BWXT’s Pele prototype core reactor assembly. (BWXT)
“Anyone who’s seen big solar arrays on military installations knows that the moment that you have a Black Start exercise and the grid goes down, those are immediately cut off. They do not provide power, so the resiliency is fossil fuels. You have a certain number of backup power days, but that is a huge vulnerability…”
Black Start is a congressionally mandated requirement for DoW installations, testing their ability to operate without grid power in an emergency.
The microreactors that Janus will seek to deploy will be what commercial industry refers to as Generation IV or so-called “Passive Reactors” which, by design, cannot melt down. Utilizing low-enriched uranium (to about 5 percent), they will generally not be higher than 20 megawatt plants. Even so, they’ll likely offer surplus power, which could potentially provide energy resiliency to local communities.
“If everything goes black outside the fence, that’s where most soldiers live, where their families live and where a lot of critical infrastructure is,” Waksman said. “I’ve been to a lot of hardened [military] sites. I’ve yet to see one that is resilient to everything going down outside the fence line. Selling some of this [power] outside the fence line is something that we’re actively interested in doing.”
A cutaway image of BWXT’s mobile microreactor for Project Pele. (BWXT)
Such a scheme is in a legal gray area, Waksman noted, but there is precedent — a military-based reactor sold energy to an adjacent community in the early 1980s. However, the Army believes it could offer excess power commercially with some limitations. Waksman said that the Department of the Army is currently negotiating with Congress on this issue and is seeing bipartisan support.
Thanks to the low-enrichment nature of the small reactors, the Army does not expect a requirement for extra force protection at nuclear-powered installations.
The United States’ existing fleet of reactors runs on uranium fuel that is enriched up to 5 percent with uranium-235, called Low-enriched uranium (LEU). U-235 — the main fissile isotope that produces energy during a chain reaction — is considered safe for use in commercial nuclear reactors.
The ubiquity of LEU makes integration of small reactors on military installations more affordable, Waksman noted. Affordability is a major consideration within Janus. How much the military is willing to pay for resiliency is a hard question, Waksman admits. He offered that the Army doesn’t think nuclear power cost needs to be equivalent with fossil fuels, but just reasonably close. He cites the roughly 40 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) that consumers pay in Hawaii and Alaska, rather than the 10 to 12 cents per kWh paid in the continental U.S. to illustrate the point. At the 40 cents per kWh level, the Army expects there will be a significant commercial market over and above military nuclear power generation demand.
Hawaii and Alaska also illustrate the kind of environments, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, where there is current energy scarcity. Such scarcity makes moving a missile defense system, directed energy systems, large radars, or artificial intelligence data centers to an island or a remote Arctic site problematic.
The strain on available local energy infrastructure imparted by these kinds of systems means they are often limited by ad hoc diesel power generation or other arrangements, Waksman explained. Installing advanced microreactors could potentially transform such locales from energy-scarce environments to a state of energy abundance, which could support defense and other infrastructure. This could be critical to U.S. success in the Pacific.
There may be political challenges to placing microreactors on Pacific islands, other foreign territories, or even within the United States, Waksman acknowledged. But he opined that many places don’t necessarily oppose nuclear power. They oppose not being consulted about it. He says there will be pre-engagement discussion with any proposed local community. If they object, the Army won’t go there.
“We’re not here to impose nuclear power on any local communities,” he added. Foreign placements would fall under Status of Forces Agreements. Waksman points to the fact that the Navy has successfully concluded these throughout the Pacific, “so it can be done”.
Critical installations, especially those where energy supplies are more scarce and vulnerable, are eyed as especially well-suited for microreactors. Pearl Harbor, seen above, could be one such facility. (Google Earth)
Janus could also bring second and third-order benefits with it. Introducing advanced microreactors to military installations could kick-start the U.S. commercial nuclear power market and attract new blood to replenish the current critical shortage of nuclear engineers in America, Waksman said.
The model being used for the Janus competition, he explained, is the NASA COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation System) model, which was the catalyst for the creation of SpaceX. Elon Musk’s company made space engineering cool again, inspiring students to go into the rocketry/space field, Waksman says.
“There’s a feeling [that] nuclear needs a SpaceX. There are innovative, exciting startups, so we’re hoping to cultivate them in the same way that NASA cultivated SpaceX and make nuclear sexy again and encourage more top young engineering talent to go into the field.”
Trump’s Executive Order has put the Army on a tight timeline to make Janus a reality.
“We will do everything in our power to successfully meet the Executive Order,” Waksman affirmed.
Brandon Cockrell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Energy and Sustainability, also attended the roundtable and concluded the meeting by asserting that there is already significant competition among states and municipalities to get advanced microreactors at local bases.
“There are some states across the U.S. that are already leaning forward heavily with tax deferments and resources… This is a whole concerted effort to get the nuclear industry to the next phase in the nation.”
Strictly Come Dancing star Vicky Pattison was left in tears as she spoke openly about her experience on the show, which she says is helping her become a ‘better version’ of herself
Vicky became emotional during Strictly(Image: BBC)
Vicky Pattison’s emotions poured out during Strictly Come Dancing’s icons week. The former Geordie Shore star, 37, reflected on the person she used to be and who she is now before she transformed into Cheryl Tweedy for an impressive routine.
As the pre-dance video rolled, Vicky said: “I first started out in this industry at about 21 and I made some bad decisions. I just don’t think at that age I had the tools to navigate that space I was in. Now I do my best to be a better version of myself – someone I can look in the mirror and feel alright about.”
She went on: “What I’ve learnt about myself is that with determination and a little bit of self-belief, you can achieve stuff.” As she opened up on her song choice for the week, Fight for this Love by the Girls Aloud star, Vicky tearfully added: “Apart from being a banger is a very important song to me. The whole idea that the comeback is greater than the setback.
“You can have the life you want. You can change the narrative. You can be who you want to be, not letting the past define you. I think that’s really powerful. I worked on myself and now I’m here in a place that makes us really happy and I’m finally becoming a woman I’m proud of.”
Following her dance, Vicky was left gobsmacked after her icon sent her a personal message. As Cheryl appeared on screen, the reality TV star couldn’t help but gasp and jump around as she was told she had been following her progress.
Cheryl congratulated her fellow Geordie before saying she was “honoured and humbled” to be her choice of icon. Cheryl added: “I know you’ve got it in you because you’re a Geordie.
“So go on, get out there. Fight for your place and I’m sending you loads of love. I’ll be rooting for you from home.” An elated Vicky joked it was amazing that Cheryl even knew who she was as she continued to showcase her disbelief at the message.
Earlier in the show, Ellie Goldstein also received a personal message of her own. After dancing a salsa to a Spice Girls medley dressed as Baby Spice, Emma Bunton surprised her with a touching message.
And fans spotted the sweet moment Ellie’s dance partner Vito Coppola moved to make sure she was okay. After staring down at the star, Vito appeared to wipe away a tear from her eye as the judges gave the duo positive feedback following their routine.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one user gushed: “Vito checking on Ellie and dabbing away a tear. #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing” They also added crying emoji faces to their comment.
Alex Kingston also transformed into Dolly Parton for an impressive routine alongside Johannes Radebe. And she too was treated to a personal message from her icon.
However, her moment came in private during training. It came about thanks to fellow celebrity dancer La Voix.
Country in the South Caucasus has witnessed several serious incidents involving the illicit trade in nuclear materials in recent years.
Published On 25 Oct 202525 Oct 2025
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Three Chinese citizens have been arrested in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, while allegedly trying to buy 2kg (4.4lb) of uranium, the State Security Service says.
The suspects planned to transport the nuclear material to China through Russia, the security service said on Saturday in a statement, while also releasing video footage of the detention operation.
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Authorities accused a Chinese citizen already in Georgia who was in breach of visa regulations of bringing experts to Georgia to search for uranium throughout the country.
Other members of the criminal group coordinated the operation from China, authorities said. The perpetrators were identified and detained while “negotiating the details of the illegal transaction”, the State Security Service said.
The agency did not specify when the arrests occurred or provide the identities of the suspects.
Members of the group planned to pay $400,000 for the radioactive material, authorities said. They face charges that could see them imprisoned for up to 10 years.
Several serious incidents involving the illicit trade in nuclear materials have occurred in Georgia over recent years. In July, Georgia arrested one Georgian and one Turkish national and charged them with the illegal purchase, possession and disposal of radioactive substances, which the State Security Service said could have been used to make a bomb.
The security of nuclear materials left over from the Soviet era was one of the biggest concerns after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, of which Georgia was a member. After Soviet research institutions shut down, the country became a rich picking ground for smugglers.
In 2019, Georgia said it had detained two people for handling and trying to sell $2.8m of uranium-238.
In 2016, authorities arrested 121 people, including Georgians and Armenians, in two sting operations in the same month and accused them of trying to sell about $203m of uranium-238 and uranium-235.
In a recent meeting with donors, President Donald Trump shared his excitement about a new ballroom project at the White House, mentioning that he could begin construction immediately without needing approvals. This led to the demolition of the East Wing of the White House, which sparked outrage among historians, preservationists, and the public, as many […]
KATIE Price showed off some worrying bumps on her forehead after revealing concerns about her health and weight loss.
The 47-year-old mum-of-five took toSnapchat to share a close-up selfie of her forehead where she pointed to the series of “humps” that protruded from her skin.
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Katie Price showed several bumps on her foreheadCredit: InstagramThe bumps come after her unexplained weight lossCredit: SplashKatie also had a major facelift done in AugustCredit: Louis Wood
“I’ve got HUMPS on my forehead,” Katie captioned the post.
The selfie, which she also shared to her Instagram Stories, showed several bumps from her eyebrows up to the middle part of her forehead, with the biggest bump in the centre.
On her Snapchat, Katie posted a video of her ‘before’ getting the botox, where there was a number of black marker dots on her forehead, presumably injection points for the botox.
“I’ve gone from this,” she said in the first video and it quickly changed to the next Snapchat where she spoke about the bumps on her skin.
“At the moment, it looks like I’ve got humps on my face, my ‘lovely lady lumps’,” Katie said referring to the Black Eyed Peas song, My Humps, which she had playing over the video.
Bumps are a common reaction to Botox and could occur because of a reaction to the needle or allergic reaction to the Botox itself.
TheCelebrityBig Brotherwinner told her fans on Snapchat at the time: “I’ve been up early at the doctors so she could do some bloods and because my veins are so s*** they had three attempts.
“They could only fill two tubes up, so I’ve got to go back in two weeks.
“And I’ve got to have my stitches out then because they looked at my little stab wound that I did.”
Her boyfriend, JJ Slater, worried that Katie might be running herself into the ground.
“It’s not an easy thing to sit back and watch your partner running themselves into the ground health-wise.”
They added this concern was a consensus among the star’s wider family and said: “JJ and Katie’s family think she is putting way too much pressure on herself.
“She’s been constantly on the move with tour shows, but isn’t right mentally or physically – something she knows deep down.”
Katie’s health woes come amid more personal drama as her ex-husband Kieran Hayler was charged with raping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.
The former stripper will appear at Crawley Magistrates Court on November 19.
The US is deploying the world’s largest aircraft carrier to Latin America as part of the Trump administration’s stated goal of combating drug trafficking. But as regional tensions soar, Venezuela is accusing Washington of trying to overthrow its government.
Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, has energised liberal voters and has strongly condemned Israel’s war on Gaza.
Polling places have opened for the start of in-person voting for one of the year’s most closely watched elections in the United States, the New York City mayor’s race.
New Yorkers on Saturday began choosing between Democrat Zohran Mamdani, who has built up a sizeable lead in the polls, Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat appearing on the ballot as an independent. The incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, is also on the ballot, but dropped out of the race last month and recently threw his support behind Cuomo.
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Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, has energised liberal voters, drawn to his proposals for universal, free child care, free buses, and a rent freeze for New Yorkers living in about 1 million rent-regulated apartments.
Cuomo has assailed Mamdani, who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, over his criticism of Israel.
Mamdani, who has weathered anti-Muslim rhetoric during the contest, says Israel’s military actions in Gaza have amounted to genocide, a view shared by a UN inquiry, genocide experts and numerous rights groups.
In an emotional speech on Friday, Mamdani said the attacks against him are “racist, baseless”.
“To be Muslim in New York is to expect indignity, but indignity does not make us distinct. There are many New Yorkers who face it. It is the tolerance of that indignity that does,” said Mamdani, who in June beat Cuomo to achieve a landslide victory in the Democratic mayoral primary.
Cuomo has portrayed Mamdani’s policies as naive and financially irresponsible. He has appealed to voters to pick him because of his experience as the state’s governor, a position he gave up in 2021 after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment.
New York has allowed early voting since 2019, and it has become relatively popular. In June’s mayoral primary, about 35 percent of the ballots were cast early and in person, according to the city’s campaign finance board.
In neighbouring New Jersey, the governor’s race is also being closely followed. It features Republican state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli against Democratic US Representative Mikie Sherrill. New Jersey adopted early voting in 2021.
The off-year elections in the two states could be bellwethers for Democratic Party leaders as they try to decide what kinds of candidates might be best to lead their resistance to Republican President Donald Trump’s agenda.
The races have spotlighted affordability and cost of living issues as well as ongoing divisions within the Democratic Party, said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
“New York City pits the progressive wing against the establishment old guard in Mamdani versus Cuomo, while New Jersey is banking on moderate candidate Mikie Sherrill to appeal to its broad middle,” she said.
The New Jersey gubernatorial candidates, in their final debate earlier this month, sparred over the federal government shutdown, Sherrill’s military records, Trump’s policies and the high cost of living in the state.
The winner would succeed Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, who is term-limited.
In Megha Majumdar’s new novel “A Guardian and a Thief,” a cataclysmic climate event in the Bengali city of Kolkata has wiped out shelter and food supplies, leaving its citizens desperate and scrambling for survival. Among the families beset by the tragedy are Ma, her young daughter Mishti and Ma’s father Dadu. They are some of the fortunate ones, with approved passports to travel to the U.S., where Ma’s husband awaits them in Ann Arbor, Mich. But a brazen theft threatens their very existence.
“A Guardian and a Thief” is Majumdar’s follow-up to her critically acclaimed bestselling debut “A Burning.” We chatted with the author about white lies, the pleasures of anthropology and teaching as a form of learning.
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✍️ Author Chat
“A Guardian and a Thief” by Megha Majumdar
(Knopf)
Your novel takes place in Kolkata, which is your hometown. Why?
It’s one of the cities in the world which is most severely affected by climate change. I was reading about all of these grim predictions. Kolkata has grown significantly hotter and is predicted to endure more storms in the coming decades. Reading all of that was really sad, and it was really alarming. The book really grew out of these predictions about the future of the city.
Your character Boomba makes life very difficult for your family, yet he is really a victim of circumstance, right? Calamities can make good people do bad things.
This is the kind of question that got me into this book, which is, are there good people and monsters or do we contain elements of both in us? And is this revealed in a circumstance of scarcity and crisis? That’s the kind of question that I was very interested in. Boomba came to me initially as the thief of the title, but as I started writing more about him, I realized that it wouldn’t be truthful or interesting to simply make him the thief. He was more complex and I needed to write him with all of his complicated motivations and wishes and worries and regrets.
Everyone in the novel lies to some extent, whether it’s for self-preservation, or to protect their loved ones from being hurt.
I think it’s coming from love, actually, the loving function of lies and falsehoods. Anybody who has lived far away from home might find that this resonates with them: This feeling that when you are really far away from your loved ones, you need to assure them that you are OK, that things are all right. It’s a kind of love that you can offer them, because they cannot do anything to help you from so far away. So offering them falsehoods about how your circumstances are fine and they have nothing to worry about is an expression of love for them.
You studied anthropology in college. How did you move into fiction?
Anthropology is about the effort to understand [other people] while acknowledging that you can never fully know, that there are limits to how much any of us can understand another person’s life. That training, in listening for complexity in somebody else’s life story, and honoring the contradictions and intricacies of their life, and maintaining the humility to acknowledge that there are things about other people which will always remain mysterious to us — that space is so rich for a fiction writer.
You teach writing in the MFA program at Hunter College in New York. How does that feed into your work?
It’s what I loved about working as a book editor. Teaching feels beautifully related to editorial work, because, once again, I am close to other writers. I’m close to their text, I am thinking with them through the questions of what this text is accomplishing. And I love having the opportunity to think through failures of prose with other incredibly smart and creative and ambitious writers. When I say failure, there’s nothing bad or stressful about it. I fail in my writing all the time. Failure is part of the process. Being able to look at those failures and ask, what is happening here is very useful.
📰 The Week(s) in Books
Twenty-five years after “Almost Famous” put his origin story on movie screens, Cameron Crowe (left, with Robert Plant) reflects on his roots as a teenage music journalist.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Valorie Castellanos Clark writes that “The Radical Fund,” John Fabian Witt’s book about a Jazz Age millionaire who gave his money away is a “meticulous” story of “the ways a modest fund endowed by a reluctant heir managed to reshape American civil rights in less than 20 years.”
Leigh Haber is entranced with Gish Jen’s new novel “Bad Bad Girl,” about a fraught mother-daughter relationship, calling the book “suffused with love and a desire to finally understand.”
Vroman’s Bookstore is on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Nine months after the Eaton fire, Vroman’s Bookstore continues to be a cherished haven for local residents. The store still vibrates with bookish energy as it continues its ambitious fundraising outreach campaigns for fire victims. We chatted with the store’s chief executive, Julia Cowlishaw, about how things are going at the beloved Pasadena institution.
Nine months after the fire, how is business?
Business has been steady this year and we’re pleased with that, given all the variables in the world.
What books are selling right now?
The new releases this fall are fabulous, and we are seeing a broad range of interests. In nonfiction there’s a lot of interest in trying to understand current events from historical perspectives and Jill Lepore’s “We the People” is one example on our bestseller list. Since it is fall, the list of cookbooks is amazing and Samin Nosrat’s new cookbook “Good Things” along with her older book “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” make great gifts. In fiction, Ian McEwan, Kiran Desai, Thomas Pynchon and Lily King’s new novels are popular, so literary fiction is alive and well.
How important has the store been for the community in such a challenging year?
Bookstores, including Vroman’s, have long been recognized as a third place in their communities. A third place gives people a space to come together with friends and family over a shared interest and a fine sense of community. That sense of community became even more important after the fires, and it was so important for us to be more than a bookstore and give back to our community in every way we could. Our community really responded by helping us raise money for several community foundations, and collect books and supplies for people impacted by the fires.
Catherine Connolly, a pro-Palestine, left-wing candidate, is on course for a landslide victory as vote counting continues.
Published On 25 Oct 202525 Oct 2025
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Left-wing independent candidate Catherine Connolly is set to become Ireland’s next president after her rival conceded defeat.
Vote counting in the presidential election was still under way on Saturday, but Heather Humphreys of the centre-right Fine Gael party told reporters she “wanted to congratulate Catherine Connolly on becoming the next president of Ireland”.
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“Catherine will be a president for all of us, and she will be my president, and I really would like to wish her all the very, very best,” Humphreys said.
Voting slips were being counted by hand with the final result of Friday’s election expected to be declared later on Saturday once all 43 electoral constituencies across the country have completed counting.
Polls had suggested consistent and strong voter support for Connolly, 68, over her rival Humphreys, 64.
Deputy Prime Minister and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris also was quick to wish Connolly “every success”, adding: “She will be President for all this country.”
“Her success will be Ireland’s success,” he posted on X.
Vote counting at the RDS count centre in Dublin, Ireland, on October 25, 2025 [AFP]
Connolly, a former barrister and independent lawmaker since 2016, has been outspoken in criticising Israel over its war in Gaza and has garnered the backing of a range of left-leaning parties, including Sinn Fein, the Labour Party and the Social Democrats.
Her campaign was especially popular among young people, who approved of her strong pro-Palestine stance and her commitment to social justice, among other issues.
Connolly and Humphreys were the only contenders after Jim Gavin, the candidate for Prime Minister Micheal Martin’s Fianna Fail party, quit the race three weeks before the election over a long-ago financial dispute. Martin had backed Gavin in the race.
While Irish presidents represent the country on the world stage, host visiting heads of state and play an important constitutional role, they do not have the power to shape laws or policies.
The winner will succeed Michael D Higgins, who has been president since 2011, having served the maximum two seven-year terms.
If confirmed, Connolly will be Ireland’s 10th president and the third woman to hold the post.
Strictly Come Dancing fans will be faced with watching new hosts from next series and they have made their thoughts heard about who they would like to replace Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly
Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced they are leaving Strictly Come Dancing(Image: BBC)
Tess and Claudia have been the long-time faces of the hit BBC show. But their joint statement revealed this is to be their last series fronting the contest.
Now, a surprise pairing has been called out by fans to take over the baton. Commenting on a behind-the-scenes video from this year’s Pride of Britain Awards, fans have expressed their desire for the couple behind LadBaby to take centre stage on the contest.
LadBaby, whose real name is Mark Hoyle, and his wife, Roxanne, were suited and booted for the ceremony, and as they showed their unique personality in the sneak peek, fans were loving their energy.
One user gushed: “These two beautiful people are my pick for the new hosts to replace Tess and Rylan to replace Claudia on strictly.” A second agreed, saying: “Wow this was brilliant you two are amazing you presented this like real professionals , you both need to be grabbed up for your own show.”
Others didn’t specifically name Strictly, but insisted the pair deserved more time on the small screen. “You two are absolute naturals you should have your own morning show,” another penned.
And a fourth said: “You both make such fabulous hosts. So natural. Hopefully we will get to see you presenting more!” Claudia and Tess’ announcement sees the duo leave their roles after over a decade together. While the decision was a shock to some, it has long been hinted by the pair.
Tess recently revealed she wanted more weekends to herself. On the Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast she revealed how she would miss her children – Phoebe, 20, and Amber 16 – when they move away but it also would have its benefits.
And it was then that she spoke about the fact that in recent years she had missed out on lots of weekends away with pals due to being a mum as well as her Strictly commitments.
She said: “I’m not someone who goes for a day to the spa. I’m thinking, what do my kids need me to do today? Do you know what I mean?
“So I’m always making up for that. If I’ve worked for a day or two, then I’m like, now this time I need to do more for them because I was absent here. So I’m always trying to make up for that. So if I, you know, remove them from that picture.
“Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, it could be quite lovely. Could be really great. I could be on weekend breaks with my girlfriends to Ibiza. How about that? I might be back dancing on podiums.”
1 of 2 | Tropical Storm Melissa was nearing Caribbean islands. Photo courtesy of NOAA
Oct. 24 (UPI) — Melissa intensified into near-hurricane strength and is forecast to rapidly increase this weekend into a possible Category 5 storm with life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides through portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica.
Melissa rose to maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and was moving east-southeast at 1 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. EDT update. Melisa would be designated as a hurricane with winds of at least 74 mph
Melissa was about 155 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 235 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
“The exceptionally warm waters, reaching hundreds of feet deep, will act like jet fuel – providing extra energy for Melissa,” AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said about Melissa. “The warmest water in the Atlantic basin is in the central Caribbean, in the direct path of this storm. Rapid intensification into a Category 5 hurricane is not out of the question this weekend.”
A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica and a hurricane watch for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince.
“Melissa is still expected to make landfall in Jamaica as an upper-end Category 4 hurricane, which could be the strongest direct landfall for the island in since tropical cyclone record keeping has been made in the Atlantic Basin,” NHC forecaster Philippe said in a discussion.
A turn to the north and northeast is forecast on Monday and Tuesday.
Melissa is forecast to become a hurricane later Saturday and a major hurricane by Sunday.
On the forecast track, Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica through early next week, and it could be near or over eastern Cuba by the middle of next week.
“Unfortunately, a large majority of the latest reliable track models show Melissa making landfall on Jamaica in about 72 hours,” NHC forecaster Robbie Berg said. “What’s most concerning here is that the island is likely to experience a couple of days of heavy rainfall and tropical-storm-force winds before the core — and strongest winds — even reach the coast.”
Berg said major hurricane strength is likely when it reaches eastern Cuba “but increased shear should lead to weakening below major hurricane strength by day 5.”
Tropical-force winds stretch outward to 115 mph from the center.
Rainfall of 15 to 25 inches through Sunday is forecast to portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica through Tuesday with local maximum 35 inches possible across the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti, the NHC said.
Eastern Cuba is expected to receive rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, with local amounts up to 12 into Tuesday.
Additional rainfall is likely beyond Tuesday in all the areas, NHC said.
Minor coastal flooding is likely along the south coast of Jamaica later in the weekend or early next week, NHC said. Peak storm surge could reach 5 to 10 feet above ground level near and to the east of where Melissa makes landfall, NHC said.
“This storm surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” NHC said.
Swells are also expected to affect portions of Hispaniola, Jamaica and eastern Cuba during the next several days.
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the season, and it’s the first in the Caribbean.
This season has seen few storms, which have warmed the Caribbean Sea, and the warm water is potential fuel for stronger and more dangerous storms.
New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani has condemned Islamophobic attacks against him after opponent Andrew Cuomo laughed at a radio host’s remark that Mamdani would ‘cheer another 9/11’. In an emotional speech, Mamdani said such rhetoric reflects a wider tolerance of anti-Muslim sentiment.
MARTIN Kemp has given his followers an update on his health after his horror chainsaw accident, as he reveals whether his gigs will be still taking place.
Martin Kemp was rushed to hospital after a shocking chainsaw accidentCredit: PAToday the singer gave an update on how he is doingCredit: InstagramMartin’s son Roman explained what had happened to his famous dadCredit: tiktok
Giving fans an update on how he was doing following the accident. which saw him injure his fingers, Martin said: “Addressing Hey guys, just a little message.
“You might have seen in the paper that I had a terrible accident with a chainsaw, which I did, but it was last week.
“I’m a lot better now.”
Reassuring fans he wasn’t cancelling any gigs, Martin said: “And just to let you know, if you were worried and you are going to Lincoln Cathedral tonight for the DJ gig, right, it is still on.
“Yeah, but I appreciate your concerns and listen, it’s getting better by the minute, but I will explain how it happened another time, but just to reassure you, I am alright.
“Alright, lots of love. Bye.”
Yesterday, his son Roman shared the news about his dad’s hospital dash.
He explained on the You About podcast with Tom Grennan that his dad had had an accident with a chainsaw.
The star said it was lucky that his dad wasn’t “fingerless” after the incident, which saw Martin pick the chainsaw up by the blade, to cut down a piece of wood.
The chat began with music star Tom saying to Roman: “What the hell has happened to your dad’s fingers?”
“Oh God,” Roman said, and then added: “It’s scary. Friday night I’d just finished work and looked at my phone, and dad sent a picture of his hand with all fingers heavily strapped up.
“And all he writes underneath in the family WhatsApp group is ‘yep… chainsaw.’”
Roman continued: “I was texting him saying ‘what?!’ but got no reply, and then Harley my sister is like ‘what’s happened?’ but again, no reply.
“So he said ‘Oh there was a bit of the branch that we wanted chopping down so I went and got a chainsaw.”
Roman said his first issue with what had happened was that his dad was handling a chainsaw in the first place.
“He’s 65. He’s got more than enough dough. Get a professional in, you can’t be doing that,” Roman said.
He then added: “My dad said ‘Oh yeah I picked it up by the blade.”
As el-Fasher is starved, Sudanese journalists struggle to report a war buried by blackouts and global neglect.
El-Fasher, Sudan: a city besieged, starving and largely unseen. As journalists come under fire in Sudan, a lack of international media interest is helping to conceal one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Contributors: Hassan Berkia – Journalist Kholood Khair – Director, Confluence Advisory Khalid Medani – Associate Professor, McGill Institute of Islamic Studies
On our radar:
In the occupied West Bank, American journalist Jasper Nathaniel filmed Israeli settlers – backed by soldiers – attacking Palestinians during the olive harvest. Ryan Kohls speaks to Nathaniel about what he witnessed and what it reveals about Israel’s culture of impunity.
India’s news channels were once symbols of a vibrant democracy. Today, they’re seen by many of India’s neighbours as propaganda tools – exporting jingoism, sensationalism and Hindutva politics across borders. Meenakshi Ravi reports on rising anti-India sentiment in the region and a crisis of credibility that no longer stops at home.
Featuring:
Roman Gautam – Editor, Himal Southasian Deepak Kumar Goswami – Filmmaker & actor Smita Sharma – Journalist
As el-Fasher is starved, Sudanese journalists struggle to report a war buried by blackouts and global neglect.
El-Fasher, Sudan: a city besieged, starving and largely unseen. As journalists come under fire in Sudan, a lack of international media interest is helping to conceal one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Contributors: Hassan Berkia – Journalist Kholood Khair – Director, Confluence Advisory Khalid Medani – Associate Professor, McGill Institute of Islamic Studies
On our radar:
In the occupied West Bank, American journalist Jasper Nathaniel filmed Israeli settlers – backed by soldiers – attacking Palestinians during the olive harvest. Ryan Kohls speaks to Nathaniel about what he witnessed and what it reveals about Israel’s culture of impunity.
India’s news channels were once symbols of a vibrant democracy. Today, they’re seen by many of India’s neighbours as propaganda tools – exporting jingoism, sensationalism and Hindutva politics across borders. Meenakshi Ravi reports on rising anti-India sentiment in the region and a crisis of credibility that no longer stops at home.
Featuring:
Roman Gautam – Editor, Himal Southasian Deepak Kumar Goswami – Filmmaker & actor Smita Sharma – Journalist
