News Desk

Nigeria’s corridors of power are again trembling under the weight of suspicion. President Bola Tinubu’s dramatic overhaul of the nation’s military command has ignited debate, fear, and whispers of betrayal within the ranks, days after reports of a foiled coup attempt surfaced.

On Oct. 24, the President dismissed General Christopher Musa, his Chief of Defence Staff, replacing him with General Olufemi Oluyede, formerly Chief of Army Staff. Major General Waidi Shaibu now heads the army, Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke becomes the new Air Chief, and Rear Admiral Idi Abbas takes charge of the navy. Only Major General Emmanuel Akomaye Parker Undiandeye, Chief of Defence Intelligence, retained his seat — a notable exception in an otherwise sweeping purge.

A State House statement signed by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, claimed the changes were made “to strengthen Nigeria’s national security architecture.” But some Nigerians are taking the government’s explanation at face value.

The shake-up comes amid rumours of an attempted coup — reports that Tinubu’s administration has tried to downplay but cannot entirely dismiss.

Although the Defence Headquarters did not directly acknowledge any intentions of a coup, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, a representative of the organisation, mentioned on Oct. 4 that 16 officers were being investigated for disciplinary issues and breaches of service protocols. This situation arose a year after Nigerians demanded a military intervention in response to escalating economic difficulties.

However, sources within Nigeria’s corridors of power have told HumAngle that more reshuffling will occur in the coming weeks as the Tinubu-led administration fights to maintain its grip on democratic power. The sources stated that amid ongoing investigations, the service chiefs were rejigged to fill the gaps in the military intelligence system. 

Over 20 officers are now under detention following what officials described as “disciplinary breaches”. However, insiders suggest something deeper, pointing to a widening rift inside the armed forces and a purge disguised as reform.

“All the suspects are from one region,” a source familiar with the investigation said. “If this were really a coup, how could it have succeeded? What’s happening looks more like a purge than a coup plot. Perhaps they may be clearing the path for someone not yet in the picture.”

The officer added that growing grievances among northern officers have festered for months, notably since recruitment shifted from state-based quotas to geopolitical zones. “The north, which has three regions, has now been reduced to one,” another senior officer lamented.

For many within the ranks, the move feels political. Yet the government remains tight-lipped, neither naming nor prosecuting the detained officers. And “the evidence is sketchy,” one insider admitted. “In the end, what may happen is compulsory retirement for many of them, and rarely will there ever be a treason trial.”

Nigeria has experienced this troubling pattern in its history. The country’s modern timeline is marked by a series of military interventions, beginning with the first coup in 1966 and continuing through violent takeovers in 1975, 1983, and 1985, culminating in the Abacha dictatorship that suffocated the nation during the 1990s. Each coup was accompanied by promises of reform, yet the reality was one of repression, economic decline, and bloodshed.

What makes today’s situation chillingly familiar is the regional context. Across Africa, coups are no longer distant echoes of a troubled past; they have become resurgent realities. From Mali and Burkina Faso to Niger, Gabon, and now Madagascar, nine coups have shaken the continent since 2020, eroding democratic norms and emboldening soldiers who see themselves as saviours of failed civilian governments.

In Nigeria, where frustration is soaring over economic collapse, inflation, and insecurity, the thin line between democracy and disorder is wearing dangerously thin.

For President Tinubu, the latest reshuffle is both a desperate consolidation of power and an implicit admission of fragility. Analysts warn that internal divisions within the military, especially along regional lines, could prove explosive if left unchecked.

“There’s no better time to reform the armed forces than now,” one senior intelligence officer told HumAngle. “It’s far more important than even a constitutional review. We cannot afford a significant population bearing guns to remain aggrieved.” There are so many things wrong with the security sector that we must pay attention to, said the senior intelligence officer. 

Strictly Come Dancing star Tess Daly has been part of the BBC show since it began back in 2004 when she fronted the programme with Bruce Forsyth.

For the past 21 years, BBC viewers have seen presenter Tess Daly welcome a range of well-known celebrities onto the dancefloor as they try to raise the Glitterball on Strictly Come Dancing.

Although the current series is in full swing, with Stefan Dennis being forced to withdraw in the week, the beloved programme first began back in 2004, when Tess became pregnant with her first child.

However, Tess confessed that she didn’t tell bosses about her pregnancy over fears they wouldn’t want her fronting the show, although once they knew Tess shared that no one minded and all was fine.

Tess and husband Vernon Kay share two daughters together, Phoebe and Amber, with Phoebe recently reaching a huge milestone which was celebrated by her parents.

However, the 56-year-old sadly never got to introduce her children to her father, Vivian, as he sadly died the year before of emphysema, 18 days after her wedding to Vernon.

In the past, she’s opened up about losing her father and the one thing she regrets following his death.

Back in 2010, the Strictly star told The Guardian how much she misses him, as he was a strong role model in her life.

She said: “The man by whom I judged all others, really, because he was such an honourable and moral person who would never harm another being.

“Just a positive, outgoing… a great guy really and a brilliant father and I do really wish he could have met his grandchildren. That’s my greatest regret, that he never met his grandchildren.”

Similarly, five years ago when speaking to the Daily Mail, she emphasised her regret over her dad not meeting her children, along with him not getting the chance to see her role on Strictly.

She commented: “He would have been so proud. He loved Bruce Forsyth. He adored ballroom, all of it.”

BBC viewers saw Tess and Bruce front the show for a decade before he stepped down from the show in 2014, admitting it was the ‘right time’. Bruce tragically passed away in 2017 aged 89.

Claudia Winkleman was announced as his replacement after hosting the spin-off show It Takes Two.

She’s been part of the show ever since, often seen speaking to the celebrities after their routines in the ‘Clauditorium’

Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine have killed at least four people and wounded several others, local officials say, as Kyiv’s allies push sweeping measures against Moscow as the war nears its four-year mark.

Two people were killed in a ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and nine were wounded in the overnight attacks, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, said on Saturday.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said a blaze erupted in a non-residential building in one location as a result of the attacks, while debris from intercepted missiles fell in an open area at another site, damaging windows in nearby buildings.

“Explosions in the capital. The city is under ballistic attack,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a social media post.

In the central-east Dnipropetrovsk region, acting Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko said two people were killed and seven wounded in a Russian attack. He added apartment buildings, private homes, an outbuilding, a shop and at least one vehicle were damaged in the strikes.

One of the victims was an emergency worker, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. “One rescuer was killed and another wounded as a result of a repeated missile strike on the Petropavlivska community in the Dnipropetrovsk region,” the ministry said on social media.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired nine Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 62 attack drones. Four ballistic missiles and 50 drones were downed, it added.

There was no immediate comment by Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022.

For its part, Russia blamed Ukraine on Saturday for striking a dam on a local reservoir. In a statement on Telegram, Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said repeated strikes on the dam had increased a risk of flooding and advised residents in Shebekino and Bezlyudovka to leave their homes for temporary accommodation.

Belgorod region borders Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region and has previously come under attack by Ukrainian forces.

Overall, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its air defences had shot down 121 Ukrainian drones over Russia overnight.

Pressuring Putin to end war

The attacks come as Kyiv’s Western allies ratchet up pressure on Russia as the war enters its fourth winter.

The United States and the European Union announced new sweeping sanctions this week on Russian energy aimed at crippling Moscow’s war economy.

US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s top oil firms, Rosneft and Lukoil, on Wednesday in an effort to pressure Moscow to reach a ceasefire. The EU adopted a new round of sanctions against Russian energy exports on Thursday, banning liquefied natural gas imports.

At a joint news conference in London on Friday after a meeting of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the sanctions and called for additional pressure on all Russian oil companies, as well as military aid to bolster Ukraine’s long-range missile capabilities.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy said the overnight attacks intensified his country’s need for air defence systems. “It is precisely because of such attacks that we pay special attention to Patriot systems – to be able to protect our cities from this horror. It is critical that partners who possess relevant capability implement what we have discussed in recent days,” he wrote on social media.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would not bend to pressure from the West. “No self-respecting country and no self-respecting people ever decides anything under pressure,” he said, calling the US sanctions an “unfriendly act.”

Putin has called for the complete disarmament of Ukraine and for Russia to keep any territory it has seized during the war. That position seems to be non-negotiable for Ukraine. Trump, who before his return to the White House in January, had boasted of being able to end the war in 24 hours if re-elected – has been unable to make any headway between the two positions.

Plans for an in-person meeting between Trump and Putin fell apart this week after the US president proposed “freezing” the war with a ceasefire along the current front lines.

Despite ongoing disagreements, Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, on Friday said he believed a diplomatic solution was close.

The U.S. Coast Guard is in line to get a new version of the H-60 helicopter based on the MH-60R Seahawk, which is in service with the U.S. Navy and other armed forces globally. The additional helicopters will supplement, at least initially, the Coast Guard’s aging MH-60T Jayhawks. The Coast Guard also plans to boost its overall capabilities by replacing its fleet of smaller MH-65s with H-60 variants.

Earlier this week, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) put out a contracting notice announcing its intent to award Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems a sole-source deal to design and produce an unspecified number of “MH-60R variant aircraft for the United States Coast Guard.” Lockheed Martin is the current parent company of Sikorsky, which is the prime contractor for the H-60 family of helicopters. The Navy and the Coast Guard, the latter of which is a uniformed military service that falls under the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of War, have a long history of cooperation on helicopter-related efforts, as well as other programs.

“The Coast Guard anticipates new aircraft procurements may be based off Sikorsky’s MH-60R aircraft, which is the maritime variant of the H-60 in active production,” the service told TWZ when reached for more information. “Differences between the MH-60T and in-production MH-60R will be addressed with Sikorsky to ensure Coast Guard aircraft are delivered with the appropriate capabilities for Coast Guard missions.”

In September, the Coast Guard had announced contracting actions intended in part to help accelerate the delivery of “new MH-60 medium-range recovery helicopters.” At that time, the service made no mention of plans to acquire a new version based on the R model.

The Coast Guard currently has some 45 MH-60Ts in inventory, which are stationed at bases around the United States. The Coast Guard also has a number of cutters, including its newest and most capable Legend class types, that can support helicopter operations.

The Jayhawks are utilized for search and rescue, as well as various law enforcement and homeland security tasks, including counter-narcotics interdiction missions. In the latter role, the helicopters can be fitted with an Airborne Use of Force (AUF) package that includes a mounted 7.62x51mm M240 machine gun, stowage for precision rifles that can be fired from the main cabin door, add-on armor protection, and additional onboard communications systems.

The bulk of the Coast Guard’s current fleet of MH-60Ts helicopters started their service lives in the early 1990s as HH-60Js, and were later upgraded to the T configuration starting in the late 2000s. The upgrades include a new glass cockpit, as well as improvements to the helicopter’s sensor suite and other capabilities. Sikorsky had developed the original HH-60J design in parallel with the HH-60H combat search and rescue helicopter for the Navy. The Coast Guard subsequently acquired a small number of additional T variants converted from second-hand SH-60 Seahawk variants.

The MH-60R is designed primarily for anti-submarine warfare and general sea control missions, and replaced various SH-60 variants when it first began entering Navy service in the mid-2000s. The Navy replaced its HH-60Hs, which were also heavily used to support U.S. special operations forces, as well as its tandem-rotor CH-46 Sea Knights, with a separate Seahawk variant, the MH-60S.

The full extent of changes that may have to be made to the MH-60R to meet Coast Guard needs, and whether the resulting configuration may receive a new designation, is unclear. The baseline R model is packed full of anti-submarine warfare and other mission systems that the Coast Guard will not need. It does have some elements that would likely be carried over directly, such as its external winch, a key feature for performing the search and rescue mission.

Certain Coast Guard-specific requirements could require more significant changes to the core MH-60R configuration. For instance, existing MH-60Ts have weather radars fitted to their noses, something that standard R variants lack. Coast Guard Jayhawks are often called upon to fly in bad weather and otherwise demanding conditions, as can be seen in the videos below.

U.S Coast Guard HH-60 almost crashes into the sea after being hit by bad weather while evacuating a passenger onboard a cruiseliner.

📹 Damion Bailey pic.twitter.com/HXjWWMDJD7

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) May 2, 2023

Interestingly, one of the Navy’s MH-60Rs was embarked on the Coast Guard Legend-class National Security cutter Midgett during the biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise in 2022. That was the first time an MH-60R had been embarked on any Coast Guard vessel, and underscored the often-overlooked role the service plays in missions well beyond the shores of the United States. The Navy and the Coast Guard have been working to more deeply integrate their activities overseas in recent years, especially as part of larger efforts to challenge China in the Indo-Pacific region.

The new H-60s, whatever their exact configuration might be, are part of a larger Coast Guard effort to modernize and transform its helicopter fleets that has already ongoing for years now. The service’s existing MH-60T fleet is being put through a service life extension program (SLEP), which is intended to keep them flying into the 2040s. As part of the current SLEP effort, MH-60Ts are receiving a completely new central fuselage ‘hull.’ The Coast Guard had previously used hulls taken from retired Seahawks with lower total flight hours to help extend the life of its T variants.

The Coast Guard has said in the past that it also plans to “organically produce” 36 additional T variants from second-hand Seahawks, though the current status of that effort is unclear.

“As part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s service life extension program (SLEP), we continue to build replacement MH-60T Jayhawk hulls at our Troy, Alabama, facility,” Lockheed Martin told TWZ in response to questions about how the plans to acquire new MH-60R-based variants might impact the SLEP work and other work it is doing for the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard also currently plans to retire all of its remaining MH-65 helicopters and replace them with H-60 variants, a process it expects to be complete by the early 2040s. The service currently has some 94 MH-65s, which are variants of the French-made AS365 Dauphin. Originally developed in the 1970s by Aerospatiale, the design subsequently came under the umbrella of Eurocopter and then Airbus Helicopters. The AS365 line is no longer in production, with the last example having been delivered in 2021.

The Coast Guard has argued that transitioning to a pure H-60 fleet will offer more capability and the benefits of a still-in-production design, but has faced some pushback from Congress. In January of this year, Airbus Helicopters announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Coast Guard for continued support for the MH-65s at least through 2037.

New Coast Guard H-60s based on the R variant would also be able to leverage the Navy’s existing logistics and sustainment ecosystem for those helicopters. The Navy expects to keep flying its MH-60Rs well into the 2030s, at least.

How exactly the Coast Guard ultimately proceeds with its larger helicopter modernization efforts remains to be seen, but those plans now include a new service-specific version of the H-60.

Contact the author: [email protected]

FORMER Sugababes star Amelle Berrabah has confirmed she’ll “reveal secrets” about the band after being ousted from the reunion.

The popstar, now 41, joined the girl group in December 2005 as a replacement for Mutya Buena and stayed with the band until they went on hiatus at the end of 2011.

When the Sugababes came to end, Amelle was singing alongside Heidi Range, who joined the group in 2001, and last recruit Jade Ewen, who came on board in 2009.

Whilst with Heidi and Jade, Amelle released the Suagbabes seventh album Sweet 7 before the band “fizzled out”.

At the same time, the band’s original line-up, Mutya, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy began performing together again and by 2019 won a legal battle to re-gain the band name Sugababes – essentially preventing the other three from ever reuniting.

Now Amelle is getting her own back on being ousted from the band’s reunion.

oh babe

Sugababes look like they’re ageing backwards as they headline first arena show

SUGA FREE

Sugababes reveal bold change behind reunion & admit Gen Z artist is their inspo

She is set to spill “secrets” in an explosive new BBC documentary called Girlbands Forever.

Posting about the doc on Instagram, she wrote: “Had such a wonderful time chatting all things girlbands for the BBC show ‘Girlbands Forever’.

“It brought back so many amazing memories — from my time in the Sugababes to the incredible era of pop that shaped so many of us.

“So grateful to have been part of it all, and to share a few laughs (and maybe a few secrets 😜) along the way!

“Sending love to all the girlbands who paved the way and to all the music lovers who still keep the music alive!

“Girlbands Forever promises a nostalgic trip through that time in pop music history.”

It comes as The Sun asked Amelle last year if she ever saw any of the Sugababes stars anymore.

She admitted she hadn’t heard from any of the original three and revealed that there has been virtually no contact with them ever.

The star, who is the only Sugababe to achieve a solo number one away from the group, said: “I’ve never met Siobhan, I’ve heard great things, though.

“Mutya, the only day I’ve ever met her was to wish me luck for CDUK and we had a little chat and a cuddle.

“That’s literally the only time I’ve ever met her.

“And then Keisha, we haven’t spoken in a few years to be honest.”

Girlbands Forever airs on BBC Two and the BBC iPlayer on November 1 at 9,20pm

Sugababes – over the years

Siobhan Donaghy (1998-2001, 2013-present)

Keisha Buchanan (1998-2009, 2013-present)

Mutya Buena (1998-2005, 2013-present)

Heidi Range (2001-2011)

Amelle Berrebah (2005-2011)

Jade Ewen (2009-2011)

Oct. 24 (UPI) — YouTube TV subscribers might lose access to several popular Disney-owned networks if a deal is not reached with the Google-owned streaming service by Thursday.

Officials for Disney gave Google until midnight on Oct. 30 to reach an agreement or lose access to all Disney-owned content on YouTube TV.

If a deal is not made, YouTube TV subscribers would lose access to all ESPN programming, FX, ABC News, local ABC channels, the Disney Channel, NatGeo and other popular networks owned by Disney until a deal is made.

“Google’s YouTube TV is putting their subscribers at risk of losing the most valuable networks they signed up for,” a Disney spokesperson told Deadline in a prepared statement.

“This is the latest example of Google exploiting its position at the expense of their customers,” the statement continued.

“We invest significantly in our content and expect our partners to pay fair rates that recognize that value.”

If that content is lost, YouTube TV would give subscribers a $20 credit if the Disney-owned content providers go dark for an extended period, as reported by Variety.

YouTube TV has more than 10 million subscribers and is the nation’s largest Internet-based television subscription service and is using that status to demand carriage fees that are lower than market levels for the Disney-owned channels.

The current deal between Disney and YouTube TV ends on Thursday, which could deprive YouTube TV subscribers of one of the largest carriers of sports, including the NFL, college football and basketball, NBA and NHL contests.

The contract dispute with Disney is the fifth this year for YouTube TV, which also has negotiated new deals with the Fox Corp., NBCUniversal, and Paramount Global, which now is known as Paramount Skydance.

YouTube TV failed to reach an agreement with TelevisaUnivision and stopped offering its Univision and related channels from the YouTube TV lineup on Oct. 1.

The image of a grieving parent is not an uncommon sight on the dramatic stage. Euripides, whom Aristotle called “the most tragic of the poets,” returns to the figure of the grief-stricken parent in “Hecuba,” “Hippolytus” and “The Bacchae,” to cite just a few disparate examples of characters brought to their knees by the death of their child.

Shakespeare offers what has become the defining portrait of this inconsolable experience in “King Lear.” Cradling the lifeless body of his murdered daughter, Lear can do nothing but repeat the word “never” five times, the repetition driving home the irrevocable nature of loss.

In tragedy, the protagonist is often plagued by guilt for his own role, however inadvertent or inescapable, in the catastrophe that befell his loved one. Theseus in “Hippolytus” and Agave in “The Bacchae” both have reason to feel that they have blood on their hands. Lear, though “more sinned against than sinning,” recognizes only after it’s too late the error in judgment that led to the devastation from which there can be no return.

The difference with “Guac,” the one-man performance work at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, is that Manuel Oliver isn’t just playing a bereaved father. He is one.

Manuel Oliver in “Guac.”

(Cameron Whitman)

Oliver’s 17-year-old son, Joaquín, known as Guac to family and friends, was one of the 17 lives lost in 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The production, written and performed by Oliver, turns a parent’s grief into a theatrical work of activism.

Co-written by James Clements and directed by Michael Cotey, “Guac” has been sharing the story of Joaquín’s short but vividly lived life with audiences around the country. Oliver didn’t just love his son. He liked him. Guac was his best friend. He was also his trusted guide to American culture.

Immigrants from Venezuela, the family had made a new start in a country that Guac helped them feel was their home. To convey the meaning of Guac’s life, Oliver introduces his family members through a series of photo images he has crafted into artworks.

The last picture, and the one that remains staring at us throughout the performance, is of Guac. Oliver continues to enhance the portrait. While adding flourishes to the background and making adjustments to what his son is wearing, he tells us about the life they shared before it was tragically stolen.

Manuel Oliver works on a portrait of his late son in “Guac.”

(Donna F. Aceto)

The tragedy is overwhelmingly real. Oliver bears the weight of it by transforming his grief into fuel for activism. The performance makes the case for stricter gun law in America with the heartbreaking eloquence of a father whose life changed permanently after dropping his son off at school on a Valentine’s Day that started so promisingly.

What happened to Joaquín could happen to any of us, anytime, anywhere, in a country that has allowed its elected officials to deflect responsibility for their repeated failure to pass common sense gun legislation. While taking money from the NRA, these cynical politicians offer empty “thoughts and prayers” in place of meaningful reform. The result is that no one can go anywhere in public without eyeing the emergency exits and scanning the crowd for trouble.

Oliver isn’t a polished theatrical professional. He’s a dad, first and foremost. But it’s his comfortable ordinariness that allows him to make such a powerful connection with the audience. He’s onstage but could very well be exchanging a few neighborly words with us on our street.

Oliver summons his son by joyfully remembering his virtuosity on air guitar. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” resounds throughout the Douglas while he enlivens the portrait with impassioned strokes. The words “I wish I was here” are added to Guac’s T-shirt, and it’s a sentiment we all devoutly, agonizingly share as Oliver brings his wife, Patricia, onto a stage that has urgently become an extension of our national reality.

In honor of Joaquín, the couple formed Change the Ref, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about mass shootings and empowering the next generation of activists through “creativity, activism, disruption and education.” “Guac” is a potent example of what can be done in the wake of a tragedy that can no longer be described as unthinkable.

Polls open in the West African nation in a heated election set to deliver a fourth term to 83-year-old Alassane Ouattara.

Voters in the Ivory Coast are casting ballots for president with incumbent Alassane Ouattara the overwhelming favourite as he runs for a fourth term.

Nearly nine million Ivorians will vote on Saturday from 8am to 6pm (08:00 to 18:00 GMT), choosing from a field of five contenders.

Opposition heavyweights, however, aren’t running for the post. Former President Laurent Gbagbo and former Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam have been barred from standing, the former for a criminal conviction and the latter for acquiring French citizenship.

Critics said the exclusion of key candidates has given Ouattara, 83, an unfair advantage and essentially cleared the way for his fourth term.

None of his four rivals represents an established party nor do they have the reach of the ruling Rally of Houphouetistes for Democracy and Peace (RHDP).

Agribusinessman and former Trade Minister Jean-Louis Billon, 60, hopes to rally backers from his former party, the Democratic Party, while former first lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, 76, is looking to garner votes from supporters of her ex-husband.

The left-wing vote hangs in the balance between Gbagbo and Ahoua Don Mello, a civil engineer and independent Pan-African with Russian sympathies. Henriette Lagou Adjoua, one of the first two women to run for the presidency during the 2015 election, is representing a centrist coalition, the Group of Political Partners for Peace.

At the Riviera Golf 1 Primary School in the Ivory Coast’s economic capital, Abidjan, where Gbagbo is expected to cast her vote, the atmosphere appeared calm as the first voters began to queue in the early hours of Saturday.

“This vote means a lot to us,” Konate Adama told Al Jazeera. “We need a candidate to emerge from these elections. It will lead us towards peace, wisdom and tranquillity.”

Turnout will be key as the opposition continues to call for a boycott. About 8.7 million people aged above 18 are eligible to vote in a country of 33 million with a median age of 18.3.

To win, a candidate must take an absolute majority of the votes. A second round will take place if no one clears that hurdle.

Controversial fourth term

Results are expected early next week, and observers forecast Ouattara to win the more than 50 percent needed to secure victory in the first round.

The octogenarian has wielded power in the world’s top cocoa producer since 2011 when the country began reasserting itself as a West African economic powerhouse.

Under the constitution, presidents may serve a maximum of two terms. Ouattara argues a major constitutional change implemented in 2016 “reset” his limit.

The decision has angered his detractors. Opposition and civil society groups also complain of restrictions on Ouattara’s critics and a climate of fear.

About 44,000 security forces were deployed across the country to keep protests in check, especially in opposition strongholds in the south and west. A night-time curfew was in place on Friday and Saturday in the region where the political capital, Yamoussoukro, is located.

Authorities said they want to avoid “chaos” and a repeat of unrest surrounding the 2020 presidential election. According to official figures, 85 people died then while the opposition said there were more than 200 deaths.

Opposition parties have encouraged Ivorians to protest against Ouattara’s predicted fourth term. On Monday, an Independent Electoral Commission building was torched.

The government has responded by banning demonstrations, and the judiciary has sentenced several dozen people to three years in prison for disturbing the peace.

In 2010, the country was plunged into a conflict that killed at least 3,000 people after the presidential election between Gbagbo and Ouattara.

If the United States federal government shutdown continues, millions of low-income Americans could lose access to a monthly benefit that pays for food.

About 42 million people receive money through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), sometimes called food stamps. The Department of Agriculture told states in an October 10 letter that if the shutdown continues, the programme would run out of money to pay for benefits in November.

President Donald Trump’s Republican administration is blaming the Democrats with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins repeating a false healthcare talking point on October 16 on X: “Democrats are putting free health care for illegal aliens and their political agenda ahead of food security for American families. Shameful.”

The government shutdown stems from disagreements between Democrats – who want Congress, as part of approving federal funding, to extend expiring enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), through which uninsured Americans can buy health insurance – and Republicans, who want to extend federal funding first before negotiating over whether or how to extend the ACA subsidies.

SNAP is a federal programme operated by state agencies. Participants receive an average individual monthly benefit of about $190 or $356 per household. Recipients may use the benefits to buy fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy products, bread and other foods. The majority of SNAP households live in poverty.

Lawmakers and social media users have made several statements about SNAP with varying degrees of accuracy about the shutdown and the Republican tax and spending law that Trump signed in July. Here’s a closer look:

Social media posts say food stamps will disappear on November 1

Many social media posts have said food stamps are going away as soon as November 1.

“Let that sink in – just in time for the cold season and the month of giving thanks,” one Instagram post said.

That could happen for millions of people. But it might not happen for all of them, and it could happen throughout the month of November because the monthly date when people receive their benefits varies by state.

The Trump administration could use SNAP’s contingency fund to pay for nearly two-thirds of a full month of benefits, or it could transfer other Agriculture Department funds, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank. The administration has said it has found funding to continue the Women, Infants and Children programme, another food programme for low-income families.

According to an Agriculture Department funding lapse plan, SNAP “shall continue operations during a lapse in appropriations, subject to the availability of funding”.

An Agriculture Department letter told states to hold off on steps that would lead to people receiving their November benefits. Federal regulations require that reductions be made in a way that higher-income recipients lose more benefits than the lowest-income recipients.

We asked administration officials for more detail but received no response to our questions.

Many state officials – including in Illinois, New York, North Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin – said that if the shutdown continues, participants might not or will not receive benefits in November. A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Children and Families told PolitiFact that if the shutdown continues into November, benefits will not be issued.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday that he will deploy the National Guard and California Volunteers, a state agency, to support food banks and provide $80m in state money.

“Empty cupboards and stomachs are not abstract outcomes,” Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers told Rollins in a Wednesday letter. “They are the very real and near consequences of the dysfunction in Washington. These are also consequences you can prevent today.”

Meanwhile, food banks across the country have taken a hit from other Trump administration policies. ProPublica reported on October 3 that earlier in the year, the administration cut $500m in deliveries through the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides food to state distribution agencies.

So what have key lawmakers said on this issue and how true are their claims?

‘We are not cutting’ SNAP

– Mike Johnson, speaker of the US House of Representatives, on the TV programme Face the Nation on May 25

This is false.

Johnson spoke after the House passed a Republican-backed bill known at the time as the One Big Beautiful Bill, which included many of Trump’s policy priorities.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the nonpartisan number-crunching arm of Congress, estimated in May that 3.2 million fewer people per month on average would receive SNAP benefits over the next nine years based on the bill’s changes to work requirements and restrictions on states’ ability to waive the work requirements in areas with high unemployment.

A more recent August CBO analysis estimated the changes would reduce participation in SNAP by roughly 2.4 million people.

‘Nearly 25 cents of every $1 spent via SNAP goes to farmers and ranchers’

– Wisconsin state Representative Francesca Hong in a June 12 X post

This is true.

In a series of X posts, Hong said it wouldn’t be only families receiving food aid that would be hurt by the legislation.

A chart published this year by the Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service showed that in 2023, farm establishments made 24.3 cents of every dollar spent on food at home, including at grocery stores and supermarkets.

‘About 20 percent of households with veterans rely upon’ SNAP

– House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries at a May 8 news conference

This is mostly false.

An April 2 study found that 8 percent of veterans rely on SNAP benefits. No state had a share higher than 14 percent. Studies with data from a few years earlier showed rates from 4.9 percent to 6.6 percent.

Louis Jacobson, Staff Writer Loreben Tuquero and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Madeline Heim contributed to this article.

Line of Duty actor Mark Bonner was banished on Thursday’s (October 23) episode of Celebrity Traitors.

Celebrity Traitors star Mark Bonnar has revealed who he reckons will triumph as he declared two contestants’ “days are numbered”.

The Line of Duty actor was booted out on Thursday’s (October 23) episode of the BBC smash hit after his destiny was sealed through the Chest Of Chance following a voting stalemate between himself and David Olusoga.

He fell under scrutiny after his fellow contestants branded him of being excessively theatrical.

At the time, Rugby player Joe Marler said his performing abilities would enable him to ‘slip into the role of a traitor’ with ease.

Traitor Alan Carr also set his sights on the 56 year old actor after spotting a chance to eliminate another faithful, reports Wales Online.

After his departure from the Celebrity spin-off, the actor featured on Saturday’s (October 25) episode of BBC breakfast with presenters Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty.

It wasn’t long before the hosts grilled the star on some programme spoilers as Naga questioned: “Who do you think is going to win?”

Mark declared: “I don’t know but I think at this stage I would say probably.. I’ll choose one from each camp and it’s either Nick or Cat.”

Naga pressed on: “So Cat is a Traitor and Nick is Faithful.” Mark responded: “Yes. I think they’re both playing a really brilliant game.”

Charlie interjected: “It’s kind of a tricky one now, you know what you’re allowed to say and what you’re not allowed to say.”

Naga was eager for the star to reveal some programme secrets as she questioned: “So do you know because you said you generally don’t know.”

Mark kept his cards close to his chest, stating: “I generally don’t know.” Naga pressed on: “So you only know up to your involvement.”

The TV host continued: “As you were watching you said Cat and not Jonathan or Alan.”

Mark speculated: “I think Jonathan’s days are numbered because Joe has been kind of gunning for him. Even though he goes for him and says ‘Jonathan, Jonathan’ but ends up voting for something else.”

He added: “I still think his days are numbered and he knows it as well. Alan has really grown into it, he started off really sweaty but now he is just accusing people left right and centre.

“But I think his days might be numbered too because if they don’t get him next week, they’ll come back to that forgetting he had a shield and that is a big thing. He has forgotten because he doesn’t care.”

You can catch up on Celebrity Traitors on BBC iPlayer

Oct. 24 (UPI) — The Department of Justice filed a motion Friday to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, a country to which he has no ties.

The Department of Homeland Security has received “diplomatic assurances regarding the treatment of third-country individuals removed to Liberia from the United States and are making the final necessary arrangements for [Abrego Garcia’s] removal,” the filing said.

DHS expects “to be able to effectuate removal as soon as Oct. 31.”

Abrego Garcia, a Baltimore resident, is a native of El Salvador. He was accidentally deported to a Salvadoran prison in March against a court order. In recent months, DHS has been looking for a new place to send him. It’s tried Uganda, Eswatini and Ghana, but those countries refused.

But an immigration judge ordered that Abrego Garcia not be removed from the United States.

Abrego Garcia’s attorney said the government “has chosen yet another path that feels designed to inflict maximum hardship.”

“Having struck out with Uganda, Eswatini and Ghana, ICE now seeks to deport our client Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia — a country with which he has no connection, thousands of miles from his family and home in Maryland,” Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg told ABC News. “Costa Rica has agreed to accept him as a refugee, and remains a viable and lawful option.”

The DOJ said Liberia is “a thriving democracy” and is “committed to the humane treatment of refugees.”

Abrego Garcia has been accused of being a gang member and of human trafficking, stemming from a 2002 traffic stop in Tennessee. Police stopped the vehicle in Tennessee and found several Latino men with no identification. Charges for that case were filed this year. He still awaits trial.

On Oct. 4, a federal judge in Tennessee granted a motion by Abrego Garcia’s defense team that seeks a hearing for vindictive prosecution.

“The timing of Abrego’s indictment suggests a realistic likelihood that senior DOJ and [Homeland Security] officials may have induced Acting U.S. Attorney [Robert] McGuire (albeit unknowingly) to criminally charge Abrego in retaliation for his Maryland lawsuit,” U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr. wrote.

The Maryland lawsuit was Garcia’s successful legal challenge in a federal court in which he showed DHS made a mistake when it deported him to El Salvador.

Federal officials also contend Abrego Garcia was a member of the Salvadoran MS-13 gang, though he and his family deny it. They argue that Abrego Garcia fled El Salvador because of gang violence.

KATHERINE Ryan has melted hearts after she shared adorable photos of her newborn baby after giving birth a week ago.

The comedian, 42, revealed she had welcomed her fourth child last Saturday in just 45 minutes.

Katherine, 42, already has three children including son Fred, three, and daughter Fenna, two, with husband Bobby Koostra, and she is mum to her 15-year-old Violet from a previous relationship.

Now a week into welcoming her fourth child, the comedian has given a sweet update into life with another baby.

She shared a slew of adorable snaps on Instagram which included a pic of baby Holland just after she had been born.

Another sweet snap saw the baby all wrapped up in pink knitwear.

Read more on Katherine Ryan

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The proud mum wrote next to the adorable pictures: “One week of easy breezy Holland.”

Fans rushed to compliment her on the sweet snaps, with one saying: “Just beautiful!”

Another joked: “Stop it Katherine, you’re making me broody!”

This fan said: “Congrats! What a beautiful little girl.”

BABY JOY

Katherine announced she was adding to her brood earlier this year.

The star then revealed on October 18 that she had given birth.

Katherine shared a slew of sweet snaps to mark the occasion.

Her husband Bobby paid an emotional tribute to his “great” wife.

He said: “Holland Juliette Kootstra has arrived:)

“The ‘Patrick Mahomes’ of child birth pulled out another MVP performance!

“Amazing to witness the greatness of @kathbum #blessed”

One follower commented: “Congratulations and love the name.. a welcome addition to your amazing family… sending love.”

Another chimed in: “Yay!! Gorgeous name and post-birth line up.”

JAB HACK

I’ve lost 6st in six months on Mounjaro & ‘cured’ the horrible side effect

CASH BOOST

Clever tools to help you find lost cash in time for Xmas – you could get £3,141

Katherine’s husband also told fans that Katherine had achieved a ’45 minute PB’ when it came to giving birth to the baby.

Sharing a photo of her in the hospital bed, Bobby penned: “45 min PB,” alongside an emoji of a girl running.

US, China officials begin trade talks in Kuala Lumpur to pave way for high-stakes meeting between Trump and Xi.

United States President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Malaysia for the first leg of a five-day trip that spans Japan and South Korea, his first to a region reeling from his aggressive trade tariffs since taking office in January.

Top economic officials from the US and China kick-started talks in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, in a bid to chart a path forward after Trump threatened new 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing expanded export controls on rare earth magnets and minerals.

The talks aim to pave the way for a high-stakes meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, which could bring some deals on tariffs, technology controls and Chinese purchases of US soya beans.

Trump will arrive on Sunday morning for his longest trip abroad since returning to the White House in January.

As he left the White House on Friday evening, Trump expressed confidence that he would have a “good meeting” with the Chinese leader. “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us,” he told reporters.

Trump-Xi meeting

On Thursday, Trump will meet Xi for the first time since his return to office in South Korea’s Busan.

Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese imports to a total of some 155 percent from November 1 if a deal is not found. That would almost certainly provoke a reaction from Beijing and end a truce that paused tit-for-tat hikes.

Beyond trade, the two leaders are expected to discuss Taiwan, a long-running point of contention, and Russia, a Chinese ally now subject to expanded US sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Trump also said he will likely raise the issue of releasing Jimmy Lai, the founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. Lai is serving a prison sentence in Hong Kong under Beijing-imposed national security laws.

“It’s on my list. I’m going to ask … We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters.

Ahead of Trump’s visit for the APEC summit, thousands of South Korean protesters are holding a rally in downtown Seoul, condemning his tariff policies and pressure on South Korea to invest in the US.

ASEAN summit

After skipping ASEAN summits in 2018, 2019 and 2020, Trump, whose disdain for multilateralism is well-documented, will attend the gathering of Southeast Asian nations for the second time.

Several other high-profile leaders from non-ASEAN countries will also be present in Malaysia, including Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

This year’s ASEAN summit comes as Malaysia and the US have been working to address a deadly border conflict that fully erupted between Thailand and Cambodia in July before a ceasefire calmed hostilities.

On Sunday, Trump is scheduled to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who has been central in guiding and hosting Thai-Cambodian talks,  and they may oversee the signing of a ceasefire deal between Thailand and Cambodia.

The deal would formalise an agreement that ended the worst fighting in years between the two countries, though it falls short of a comprehensive peace deal.

Trump threatened earlier this year to withhold trade deals with the countries if they didn’t stop fighting, and his administration has since been working with Malaysia on an expanded ceasefire.

The president credited Anwar with working to resolve the conflict. “I told the leader of Malaysia, who is a very good man, I think I owe you a trip,” Trump told reporters on board Air Force One.

The US leader on Sunday may also have a significant meeting with Lula, who wants to see the US cut a 40 percent tariff on Brazilian imports. The US administration has justified the tariffs by citing Brazil’s criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally.

Lula on Friday criticised the US campaign of military strikes off the South American coast in the name of fighting drug trafficking and said he planned to raise concerns with Trump in Malaysia. The White House has not yet publicly confirmed whether a meeting is taking place.

Donald Trump has departed for Malaysia, where he’s set to attend the ASEAN summit and hold trade talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Speaking before he left, the US President criticised Canada over its ‘crooked ad’ about tariffs, and said he’d be open to meeting North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who wore out their remote’s fast-forward button while watching the Season 9 finale of “Love Is Blind.”

In the wake of the news that Lauren Speed-Hamilton and Cameron Hamilton, the inaugural couple to get engaged on “Love is Blind,” welcomed their first child earlier this month (raising the already high bar their rom-com coded relationship had set), the latest season of Netflix’s addictive and maddening social experiment concluded with a dramatic first in the reality franchise’s history. And while the “Sparkle Megan” nickname reveal early in the season still feels like the biggest shock to our system, the outcomes of this season’s weddings will hopefully make next week’s reunion special interesting to watch. But maybe our “Love Is Blind” correspondent Kaitlyn Huamani was onto something when she chose to add some intrigue to her binge of the show. She leaned into the mystery the singles experience in the pods by obscuring her screen and strictly listening to the participants during that critical phase of the experiment to test her assessment of the matches.

But don’t fret, lovers of love. “Nobody Wants This” is back for its second season to help maintain Adam Brody’s grip on GIF-able kisses. For the uninitiated, the L.A.-set series revolves around the will-they/won’t-they relationship between Joanne (Kristen Bell), a woman who often regales about her single life on a podcast, who falls in love with Noah (Brody), a progressive rabbi. But can their relationship make it past hurdles that include their careers, family and religion? The new season takes us on their ongoing journey to figure that out. But there’s another complicated relationship coming into focus too. Joanne’s sister and podcast co-host, Morgan (Justine Lupe), has a boundary-pushing friendship with Noah’s married brother, Sasha (Timothy Simons), that continues to cause tension with his longtime wife, Esther (Jackie Tohn) — and unlocks some other issues about their union in process. Simons stopped by Guest Spot to discuss his character’s approach to marriage and platonic friendships.

Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our recommendations are a light comedy caper that’s a spinoff of the long-running British crime series “Death in Paradise,” and a documentary that gives an intimate look at the life and career of award-winning Deaf actor Marlee Matlin.

ICYMI

Must-read stories you might have missed

Actor Aidan Delbis, photographed in Beverly Hills in October. Delbis has a breakout role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ upcoming “Bugonia.”

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Friends of this L.A. teen will soon find out his big secret: He’s co-starring in ‘Bugonia’: Aidan Delbis is one of Hollywood’s overnight success stories, going straight from high school to the set of a Yorgos Lanthimos movie.

How the men of ‘Task’ see the show’s troubled fathers and the damage they’ve caused: Creator Brad Ingelsby and co-stars Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey reflect on the HBO crime drama and how Ingelsby considered connecting it with ‘Mare of Easttown.’

‘Iron Man’ to ‘Fargo’: Behind-the-scenes photos and stories from major movie sets: ‘Moving Still: A Cinematic Life Frame-by-Frame’ features behind-the-scenes photos set decorator Lauri Gaffin shot while working on high-profile movies.

For retired TV weatherman Fritz Coleman, it’s been a sunny return to the stage: A popular local TV news personality for almost four decades on NBC4, Fritz Coleman is celebrating the second anniversary of his comedy residency about aging and sex after 70.

Turn on

Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

Kris Marshall as Humphrey Goodman and Zahra Ahmadi as DS Esther Williams in “Beyond Paradise.”

(Joss Barrett / BritBox / Red Planet Pictures)

“Beyond Paradise” (BritBox)

The third season of this spinoff from the island-set “Death in Paradise” has arrived. Following tall, awkward detective inspector Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall), transplanted from the Caribbean back to a small seaside town in Devon, England, trading blue skies for gray, it’s the coziest of cozy mysteries. Comedy and romance thread their way among its apparently impossible murders, always solved with a sudden inspiration in the final minutes of an episode. Sally Bretton plays Martha, Humphrey’s possibly permanent fiancee, who has moved her cafe to larger quarters; they’re still hoping to foster a child. Meanwhile, Martha’s previous fiance, Archie (Jamie Bamber), a well-heeled wine merchant, has crept back into the story, projecting a vibe of “I’m not your rival, rival” toward Humphrey. (I don’t trust him.) At the police station, in an old church, we find Zahra Ahmadi as Sgt. Esther Williams (not awkward), Dylan Llewellyn as PC Kelby Hartford (a puppy dog), and the great Felicity Montagu (known for playing Alan Partridge’s long-suffering assistant Lynne) as office manager Margo, uninhibited. Watch with a cup of something warm, with a shot of something stronger. — Robert Lloyd

Marlee Matlin in “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore.”

(Courtesy of Sundance Institute)

“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” (PBS.org)

She didn’t set out to be a groundbreaker or an activist, but Matlin became both. This intimate documentary directed by Shoshannah Stern (who is Deaf like Matlin) that premiered at Sundance earlier this year provides a showcase for a talented woman whose star rose quickly, thanks to a breakout performance in 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God.” The role won her an Oscar, making her the youngest person to receive the actress award at 21 — a distinction she still holds — and the first Deaf performer to win an Academy Award. (Her “CODA” co-star Troy Kotsur would become the second, 35 years later.) The film examines her upbringing in a hearing family; how a meeting with Henry Winkler led to a lifelong friendship and a path to Hollywood; and how she became a spokesperson and activist for the Deaf community after her Oscar win. (Matlin lobbied Congress for closed captioning on televisions; the first time she watched “The Wizard of Oz” with captions, she says, was a “revelation.”) While she garnered success, she struggled to get more acting roles despite her Oscar win, but more came over time, including parts in “Picket Fences,” “Seinfeld” and, later, “The West Wing.” The film also details her battle with addiction and leaving an abusive relationship with actor William Hurt, her “Children” co-star. However, what makes the film unique is how it places its Deaf subject first, largely using sign language and captions to communicate to viewers. It’s an inclusive look at one of America’s most inspiring actors. — Maira Garcia

Guest spot

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

Timothy Simons as Sasha and Justine Lupe as Morgan in Season 2 of “Nobody Wants This.”

(Netflix)

Can men and women be just friends? It’s a question that has long been dissected, debated and downplayed by couples and friends — and in plenty of movies and TV shows. “Nobody Wants This,” the Netflix romantic comedy, offers its own complex and controversial portrayal of such a dynamic. While the show swirls around the hurdles in the love journey of its main characters — Joanne (Bell) and Noah (Brody) — the relationship triangle that’s been brewing between its supporting players comes more sharply into focus in Season 2, now streaming. As Sasha, Noah’s brother who is played by Timothy Simons, tries to place better boundaries with Joanne’s sister, Morgan (Lupe), their friendship places a strain on his marriage to wife Esther (Tohn), leading to more hard truths. Simons stopped by Guest Spot to discuss what interests him about exploring a lived-in marriage at a breaking point, his go-to L.A. spots for a perfect day and the unconventional movie picks on his comfort-watch roster. — Yvonne Villarreal

The season dives into the tough decisions or sacrifices people make when being part of a relationship, and the potential long-term resentments or buried feelings that may resurface later. In this challenging time in Sasha and Esther’s marriage, we get more insight into what those issues are for them. What intrigues you about exploring the rough patches of a lived-in relationship?

I think there’s something interesting about examining those challenges for both actor and audience because it reflects broadly what a lot of people go through as they age in a relationship. People grow and change and can learn to grow and change together, and it’s hard to ask a question like, “Would I choose this person or this life if I met them now,” because what if the answer is no? That’s a rough one to face. Falling in love is somewhat easy, but staying in love is hard. Specific answers to Esther and Sasha aside, I think it’s interesting for an audience to grapple with that question, cause they’ve probably asked some form of it in their real lives.

The bond between Sasha and Morgan has been controversial from the start, with viewers wondering if it was going to evolve into an affair or remain a questionable approach to a platonic relationship. What do you think is going on there and what has it revealed to you about Sasha and what he’s seeking or lacking at this stage in his life? Are there things Sasha and Morgan do or discuss that would be a hard no for you as a married person?

I think that there is a kinship with Morgan and Sasha that, despite very different upbringings, is based on a similar worldview and station in their respective families. I think they get each other in a lot of ways despite not fitting in with most of the world. They are misfits and I think they connect in that. As long as the communication is good and boundaries aren’t crossed, finding someone to discuss issues or seek advice from, I don’t think is a betrayal.

The show is set in L.A. What are three go-to spots you’d recommend to an out-of-towner for the perfect day in L.A.?

Oh man. A lot of ways to go here, but taking a hike in Elysian Park and then going to Jitlada and Jumbo’s Clown Room would be a fun day for everyone. I think with those three you get a wonderful cross-section about what makes the city so rad to live in day-to-day.

You appeared in the final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” as loathsome Commander Bell. When I spoke with the showrunners, they said when they conceived that character, they used your “Veep” character, the incompetent and insufferable Jonah Ryan, as a model. What’s it like to be synonymous with a character like Jonah and to see how his name gets invoked in discussions of both fictional and real life matters of governance?

Hopefully I can convince people that I’m not as big of a scumbag in real life as those characters, and I love that I got to be a part of something that people hold as fondly in their hearts as I do. That was an incredible experience and a wonderful ensemble of writers, actors and crew all working together. It’s wild, though, to live in a world where Jonah Ryan seems somewhat aspirational.

What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?

It’s horror movie season, so I’ve been recommending everyone watch “Pieces”(1982) [AMC+], which is my favorite slasher. A truly wild film with the best ending to any horror movie I’ve ever seen (and that includes “Sleepaway Camp” [Peacock, Prime Video, Tubi]). Also, no surprise here that I’m quite high on “One Battle After Another,” which I’ve seen three times and will go back for a fourth cause I haven’t been able to see it in VistaVision yet.

What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the movie or TV show you go back to again and again?

Comfort films are an odd thing for me because I find myself rewatching movies like “Sicario” [Peacock] and “Zero Dark Thirty” [Paramount+], which you can’t argue are comforting in their subject matter. But they are so perfectly constructed, shot and performed that it’s comforting to watch them.

Ontario to stop running advertisement featuring voice of US President Ronald Reagan saying that trade tariffs were a bad idea.

The Canadian province of Ontario has said it will pull an anti-tariff advertisement featuring former United States President Ronald Reagan’s voice, which prompted current US leader Donald Trump to scrap all trade talks with Canada.

Trump announced on his Truth Social network on Thursday that he had “terminated” all negotiations with Canada over what he called the “fake” advertising campaign that he said misrepresented fellow Republican President Reagan.

Less than 24 hours later, Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford said he was suspending the advertisement after talking to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about the spiralling row with Washington.

“In speaking with Prime Minister Carney, Ontario will pause its US advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume,” Ford said in a post on X.

Ford added, however, that he had told his team to keep airing the advertisement during two baseball World Series games this weekend, in which Canada’s Toronto Blue Jays will face the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The advertisement used quotes from a radio address on trade that Reagan delivered in 1987, in which he warned against ramifications that he said high tariffs on foreign imports could have on the US economy.

Reagan is heard in the advertisement saying that “high tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars”, a quote that matches a transcript of his speech on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library’s website.

Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses. We’ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels. I’ve directed my team to keep putting our…

— Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 24, 2025

The Ronald Reagan Foundation wrote on X on Thursday that the Ontario government had used “selective audio and video” and that it was reviewing its legal options.

An Al Jazeera analysis of the words used in the advertisement found that while it spliced together different parts of the 1987 speech by Reagan, it also appeared sincere to the meaning of Reagan’s message: that tariffs, if wielded as an economic weapon, must be used only sparingly and for a short time, or they can hurt Americans.

President Trump did not immediately react to the Ontario premier’s decision to pull the advertisement.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told reporters that Trump had made his “extreme displeasure” known and was expected to respond later to news of the advertisement’s impending removal.

A senior US official said that Trump would probably encounter Carney at a dinner on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea on Wednesday.

“They will likely see each other,” the official told the AFP news agency.

In his original social media post announcing the launch of the advertising campaign featuring Reagan’s voice, Ontario’s Ford says, “Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada.”

It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched. 

Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.

Watch our new ad. pic.twitter.com/SgIVC1cqMJ

— Doug Ford (@fordnation) October 16, 2025

Michelle Gayle played Hattie Tavernier in the BBC One soap and also had a pop career – and, unbelievably, she hardly seems to have changed more than 30 years later

EastEnders’ Michelle Gayle appears to have defied the ageing process, looking as youthful as ever despite her stint on the BBC One soap being more than three decades ago. The London-born actress, now 54 years old, was part of the groundbreaking Tavernier family – the first Black family to join the soap.

Her character, Hattie, was a waitress and then Ian Beale’s PA at his catering company, The Meal Machine. She was a hit with EastEnders viewers, navigating through intense storylines involving miscarriage and sexual harassment – famously kneeing Ian in the groin. She also frequently clashed with Cindy, Ian’s wife, who was jealous of their close working relationship.

But the star left Albert Square in 1993 to pursue a music career, enjoying seven top 40 singles on the UK Singles Chart, including hits like Sweetness, Looking Up and Do You Know. She also released two top 40 albums before parting ways with her record company in 1997.

Michelle stepped out at a charity ball last year, looking super-glamorous as she sported a black satin dress paired with a chic black bag, red lipstick and gold earrings, posing against a beautiful floral backdrop.

Previously, Michelle had set X, formerly Twitter, buzzing with her age-defying photos, prompting comments such as: “I’ve literally just had to google how old you are……as you look about 20! ! You look amazing! ! X,” and, “There is no way you’re in the 50+ bracket! ! My goodness.”

She went on to appear on stage at Mighty Hoopla 2024 at London’s Brockwell Park, singing a few of her biggest hits.

After EastEnders, Michelle made a return to television, making guest appearances on Doctors and Holby City, before landing a role in Channel 5’s short-lived soap Family Affairs in 2005. She’s also been a familiar face on various reality TV shows, such as ITV’s Reborn In The USA, where she competed against 80s popstars Sonia and Tony Hadley, and Channel 4’s The Games.

In 2007, she became a guest panellist for ITV’s Loose Women and ventured into writing in 2011, releasing her debut novel titled Pride and Premiership.

In 2019, she went on to play the role of Hermione Granger in the West End production of the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. At the time, Michelle revealed the hardest part of her job was her unusual working hours, saying: “My ‘weekend’ is Monday and Tuesday and all my friends outside of the show are working.”

She was married to ex-professional footballer Mark Bright for 13 years, and they have a son, Isaiah, together. Michelle also has another son, Luke.