South Asian neighbours also agreed to hold follow-up meetings in coming days to ensure peace deal’s implementation.
Published On 19 Oct 202519 Oct 2025
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Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire after talks mediated by Qatar and Turkiye following a week of fierce and deadly clashes along their disputed border.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said early on Sunday that Afghanistan and Pakistan had agreed to the ceasefire “and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries”.
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Doha said the two countries also agreed to hold follow-up meetings in the coming days “to ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and verify its implementation in a reliable and sustainable manner”.
Earlier, both sides said they were holding peace talks in Doha on Saturday as they sought a way forward, after clashes killed dozens and wounded hundreds in the worst violence between the two South Asian neighbours since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) October 18, 2025
“As promised, negotiations with the Pakistani side will take place today in Doha,” Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had said, adding that Kabul’s negotiating team, led by Defence Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, had arrived in the Qatari capital.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said earlier that the country’s defence minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, had led discussions with representatives of Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership.
“The talks will focus on immediate measures to end cross-border terrorism against Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan and restore peace and stability along the Pak-Afghan border,” the Foreign Office said.
Cross-border fighting between the one-time allies and Pakistani air strikes along their contested 2,600km (1,600-mile) frontier were triggered after Islamabad demanded that Kabul rein in rebels who had stepped up cross-border attacks in Pakistan, saying the fighters were operating from safe havens in Afghanistan.
The Taliban has denied giving haven to armed groups to attack Pakistan, and accuses the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan and sheltering ISIL (ISIS)-linked fighters who have undermined the country’s stability and sovereignty.
Islamabad has denied Kabul’s accusations. Pakistan has accused Kabul of allowing armed groups to reside inside Afghanistan and wage war for years against the Pakistani state in a bid to overthrow the government and replace it with their strict brand of Islamic governance system.
On Friday, a suicide attack near the border killed seven Pakistani soldiers and wounded 13, security officials said.
“The Afghan regime must rein in the proxies who have sanctuaries in Afghanistan and are using Afghan soil to perpetrate heinous attacks inside Pakistan,” Pakistani Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir said on Saturday, addressing a graduation ceremony of cadets.
Iconic ITV medical expert Dr Hilary Jones has opened up about how he is set to depart the network after working there for 36 years as a string of cuts will see workforce sliced in half
Dr Hilary Jones has opened up about the end of his ITV career(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Lorraine star Dr Hilary Jones has opened up about his departure from the hit ITV show after being on the air for 36 years. Hilary is leaving after it was announced that the morning offering is set to be cut to 30 minutes long from January.
The reduced schedule will see it air for just 30 weeks of the year instead of 52. The 72-year-old medical specialist has also confessed that he thinks there won’t be any money for him to have a leaving party.
He explained, “I’m still working there until December 31, and then I’m a free agent. It’s liberating from the constraints of a news programme presenter. I’ll probably come back as a guest presenter now and then.”
He then clarified further why the changes to the popular show are happening, as he mentioned that many people are having to move on. He said, “People are being very sensitive to the fact that some people are having to move on.
“A lot of people are being redeployed elsewhere or in the same role. ITV, like everyone else, are having to make changes.” Talking to The Sun, as he was asked if ITV would be throwing a leaving party for those being made redundant, he said: “It would be lovely if they did, but we will wait and see on that one because money is tight.
“Certainly, there are groups of us who feel we’re part of a family, so we will all be going out anyway, whether they pay or not. We are quite happy to dip into our own pockets.”
Attending the Best Hero awards, Hilary also clarified, “I think people at work know where they stand, and many saw changes coming.”
The changes will see the workforce on ITV Studios’ daytime operations cut in half as they try to claw back financial losses. Recent financial results for the network showed their profits are down by 30 per cent in the first half of this year.
Meanwhile, TV presenter Lorraine Kelly has described the cuts to her show as “heartbreaking” as she opened up for the first time about her show being slashed. The star also vowed to continue on her self-titled programme amid previous speculation she was prepared to walk away.
Speaking to The Mirror she said, “I don’t see me going anywhere until people get fed up, you know? Until people say, I’ve had enough of that one. It’s really heartbreaking to split up the team, a lot of my team have been with me for more than 20 years and they’re my friends.
“I’ve grown up with them. They were babies when they started with me and now they’ve got babies of their own.” Lorraine said she was pleased that a lot of the team had since been redeployed on other shows.
She added, “It’s been difficult with the cuts, it’s been hard. I’m a lot happier about it now but it was honestly and genuinely all about the team. I wasn’t annoyed or angry about this for me..it was about the team.”
Mnangagwa allies push for a term extension to 2030 as ZANU-PF factions split and opposition promises a legal fight.
Published On 18 Oct 202518 Oct 2025
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Zimbabwe’s governing ZANU-PF has said it will begin a process to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term by two years, potentially keeping him in power until 2030.
The plan was endorsed on Saturday at the movement’s annual conference in the eastern city of Mutare, where delegates instructed the government to begin drafting legislation to amend the Constitution, Justice Minister and ZANU-PF legal secretary Ziyambi Ziyambi said.
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Mnangagwa, 83, is constitutionally required to leave office in 2028 after serving two elected terms. Any change would require a constitutional amendment – and potentially referendums – legal experts say.
Delegates erupted in applause after the motion passed, reinforcing ZANU-PF’s pattern of securitised rule since independence in 1980. The party controls parliament, giving it significant leverage, though some insiders warn that a legal challenge would be likely.
Mnangagwa has previously insisted he is a “constitutionalist” with no interest in clinging to power. But loyalists have quietly pushed for a prolonged stay since last year’s disputed election, while rivals inside the party – aligned with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga – are openly resisting an extension.
Blessed Geza, a veteran fighter from the liberation war and a Chiwenga ally, has been using YouTube livestreams to condemn the push, drawing thousands of viewers. Calls for mass protests have gained little traction amid a heavy police deployment in Harare and other cities.
The president made no mention of the extension during his closing remarks at the conference. Chiwenga has not commented on Mnangagwa’s term extension bid or the protests.
Dire economic situation
Mnangagwa came to power in 2017 amid promises of democratic and economic reforms following the toppling of the longtime President Robert Mugabe.
Mnangagwa has presided over a dire economic collapse marked by hyperinflation, mass unemployment, and allegations of corruption. Critics accuse ZANU-PF of crushing dissent, weakening the judiciary, and turning elections into a managed ritual rather than a democratic contest.
Legal opposition figures have warned that any attempt to rewrite the Constitution will face resistance in court.
“We will defend the Constitution against its capture and manipulation to advance a dangerous unconstitutional anti-people agenda,” opposition lawyer Tendai Biti said in a statement on X.
Ten elderly activists – most in their 60s and 70s – were arrested in Harare on Friday for allegedly planning a protest demanding Mnangagwa’s resignation.
They were charged with attempting to incite “public violence” and remain in custody pending a bail hearing on Monday. Earlier this year, authorities detained nearly 100 young people in similar circumstances.
The renewed manoeuvring has exposed an accelerating power struggle inside ZANU-PF. One faction wants Mnangagwa to remain until 2030; another is preparing the ground for Chiwenga, the former army general who helped topple Robert Mugabe in the 2017 coup.
Here are the key events from day 1,333 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Published On 19 Oct 202519 Oct 2025
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Here is how things stand on Sunday, October 19, 2025:
Fighting
Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed that its forces captured the village of Pleshchiivka in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. There was no immediate reaction from Ukraine on the latest claim of territorial gain by Moscow.
The Russian Defence Ministry had earlier announced the capture of one village in the Dnipropetrovsk region and two in the northeastern Kharkiv region, closer to the Russian border.
Two internally-displaced people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, the Russian-installed regional governor, Vladimir Saldo, said on the Telegram messaging platform.
Three people were killed and five others injured following an explosion at an industrial plant related to weapons production in the southwest Russian city of Sterlitamak, Radiy Khabirov, the governor of Bashkortostan, said in a statement on Telegram.
The chief of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, announced on X that repairs have begun on damaged power lines at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Authorities had warned that a four-week outage of power at the plant was endangering the safety of the Russian-controlled facility, which needs power to ensure that reactors are kept cool to avoid a dangerous meltdown.
Politics and diplomacy
Austria’s Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs announced that it is supporting the European Union’s decision to impose new sanctions against Russia, which require a unanimous vote and have been stymied due to Vienna’s earlier opposition to the plan.
Ukrainians said they were disappointed that the United States may not provide Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk missiles, the Associated Press news agency reported, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, on Friday.
Regional security
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Saturday urged Trump to step up efforts to support democracy in her country, arguing that a free Belarus was in Washington’s interests.
SAM Rivers, bassist for rock-rap group Limp Bizkit, has died aged 48, according to an emotional statement from the band.
His fellow band members paid tribute to their “brother” on social media after he passed away on Saturday evening.
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Sam River was a founding member of the bandHis band members paid tribute to their “brother” on social media after he passed away on Saturday eveningCredit: InstagramSam Rivers performed onstage at KROQ Weenie Roast & Luau at Doheny State Beach in 2019Credit: Getty
Announcing the news to fans on Instagram, the band wrote: “In Loving Memory of Our Brother, Sam Rivers. Today we lost our brother.
“Our bandmate. Our heartbeat. Sam Rivers wasn’t just our bass player — he was pure magic.
“The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.”
They added: “From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced.
“His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous. We shared so many moments — wild ones, quiet ones, beautiful ones — and every one of them meant more because Sam was there.”
“He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of human. A true legend of legends,” the statement continued.
“And his spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory.”
The band concluded: “We love you, Sam. We’ll carry you with us, always. Rest easy, brother. Your music never ends. — Fred, Wes, John & DJ Lethal.”
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The 48-year-old’s cause of death is yet to be revealed.
In 2015, Rivers left the band after being diagnosed with liver disease due to excessive drinking.
He revealed that he had undergone a liver transplant before rejoining the band in 2018.
Rivers was a founding member of Limp Bizkit, having formed the band with Fred Durst and John Otto in 1994.
The band then added guitarist Wes Borland and DJ Lethal in 1996.
The group dropped six albums, including critically-acclaimed “Significant Other” and “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water”.
Rivers has played on all six albums, four of which have been certified platinum or multi-platinum.
Limp Bizkit are best known for songs including “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Take a Look Around.”
Rivers was a founding member of Limp Bizkit having formed the band with Fred Durst and John OttCredit: GettyIn 2015, Rivers left the band after being diagnosed with liver disease due to excessive drinkingCredit: GettySam Rivers, Wes Borland, DJ Lethal and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit backstage at Grant Park in 2021Credit: Getty
Traffic is congested on an interstate in Los Angeles in 2017. A U.S. Marine Corps’ live-fire event at Camp Pendleton as part of its 250th birthday celebration will cause the closure of Interstate 5 for four hours on Saturday. File Photo by Mike Nelson/EPA
Oct. 18 (UPI) — The U.S. Marine Corps‘ live-fire event at Camp Pendleton as part of its 250th birthday celebration will cause the closure of Interstate 5 for four hours on Saturday.
The closure is a precaution due to the firing of explosive artillery rounds over the freeway from gunnery ranges at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, which has drawn the ire of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Newsom accused President Donald Trump of “putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety” in a prepared statement released on Saturday morning.
“Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous,” Newsom said.
“Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn’t strength,” he added. “It’s reckless. It’s disrespectful, and it’s beneath the office he holds.”
Trump will not attend the celebratory event, but Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are scheduled to attend, with the live-fire scheduled at 1:30 p.m. local time.
Marine Corps officials initially said there would be no need to close the freeway and only asked that signs be posted warning drivers of the live-fire event and to expect to hear explosions.
California Highway Patrol officials instead announced the freeway would be closed while the event is in progress, according to KTLA-TV.
Due to safety concerns, a section of Interstate 5 will be closed Saturday due to a White House-directed military event at Camp Pendleton involving live ammunition being discharged over the freeway,” Caltrans officials said in a statement on Saturday morning.
“Drivers should expect delays on Interstate 5 and other state routes throughout Southern California before, during and after the event.”
The closure starts at 11 a.m. PDT for the 17-mile stretch of freeway running from Basilone Road near San Onofre in the north to Harbor Drive in Oceanside to the south and reopens at 3 p.m.
The event will include a demonstration of Navy and Marine Corps operations on land, sea and in the air.
Camp Pendleton is located about 40 miles north of San Diego and east of I-5, which runs along the Pacific Coast.
Caltrans officials advise motorists in Los Angeles County to use state routes in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties to bypass the closed section of freeway.
Several local train routes also will be closed during the live-fire event.
The Spanish town of Terrassa in north-eastern Catalonia has temporarily banned the adoption of black cats from animal shelters to prevent potentially sinister “rituals” during Halloween.
All requests for the fostering or adoption of the felines will be denied from 6 October to 10 November to protect them from being hurt or used as props, said the local animal welfare service.
Deputy Mayor Noel Duque told broadcaster RTVE that adoption requests for black cats usually increase around Halloween.
While black cats are often associated with witchcraft and seen as bad luck in Western culture, many other cultures, including Japan and Egypt, see them as symbols of prosperity and fortune.
Terassa’s city council said there had been no record of cruelty towards black cats in the town, however there have been incidents in other areas and the decision was taken after warnings from animal welfare groups.
“We try to prevent people from adopting because it’s trendy or impulsively. And in cases like these, which we know exist, to prevent any macabre practices,” Duque said.
Terrassa is home to more than 9,800 cats, according to local authorities, and the town’s adoption centre houses around 100 felines, 12 of which are black, the Catalan News Agency reported.
The city council emphasised that the measure is “temporary and exceptional” and represents an extra precaution for animal welfare, but did not rule out repeating the ban in the future.
Exceptions during the ban period will be assessed individually by the adoption centre and normal fostering requests will resume after Halloween.
Sea otters love to play, play, play, play, play and they also have to eat, eat, eat, eat, eat — at least that’s what people say — so the Monterey Bay Aquarium is tapping Taylor Swift fans for help.
The Central Coast aquarium launched a fundraising campaign Thursday involving a re-release of one of its classic T-shirt designs to support its sea otter program and other marine conservation efforts after noticing a curious flood of $13 donations it could attribute only to Taylor Swift fans.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is seen sporting a vintage 1993 Monterey Bay Aquarium shirt with sea otter art in “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” her movie celebrating the release of her latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Swift’s fiancé, Travis Kelce, a tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs, is a known sea otter fan, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium had previously invited the couple for a special visit.
“Swifties, you truly walk the talk,” the aquarium said in a post on its website announcing the new campaign. “We tracked down the original artwork — first printed in the 1990s — and are bringing it back to say thank you, sustainably.”
The limited-time fundraiser, which offers the new eco-conscious reprints of the shirt in adult and kids sizes to those who donate $65.13, hit its initial goal in a mere seven hours, according to an update posted Thursday by the aquarium. When this story was published Friday, the total was approaching $2.2 million and the shirts were available on back order only.
“Intentional or not, by putting our sea otter conservation work in the spotlight, this has brought a new era of support and awareness to the Aquarium’s long history of ocean conservation,” the Monterey Bay Aquarium said on its website, which also features some fun Swift and sea otter crossover facts.
In addition to debuting the music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” Swift’s “Release Party” movie included behind-the-scenes footage and commentary from the artist about her songs. The 89-minute movie made $34 million at the box office over its one weekend in theaters.
Thousands converged on New York’s Times Square Saturday for a ‘No Kings’ protest against President Donald Trump. It was part of a nationwide event that comes amid military crackdowns in US cities, deportations and revenge indictments of political foes and in the wake of the Gaza peace deal.
US leader says suspected drug traffickers to be sent to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia.
Published On 18 Oct 202518 Oct 2025
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President Donald Trump says two surviving “narcoterrorists” from a semi-submersible vessel destroyed by the US military in the Caribbean will be sent to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia.
“It was my great honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.
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He said that US intelligence has confirmed the vessel was carrying fentanyl and other narcotics.
The vessel was targeted on Thursday in what Trump described as a strike aimed at disrupting a major drug trafficking route.
Two crew members were killed, he said, while two others survived and were airlifted by US forces in a helicopter rescue operation to a nearby US Navy warship.
The US military held the survivors on board at least until Friday evening.
The press office for Ecuador’s government said it was not aware of the plans for repatriation. There was no immediate comment from Colombian authorities.
At least six vessels, most of them speedboats, have been targeted by US strikes in the Caribbean since September, with Venezuela alleged to be the origin of some of them.
Washington says its campaign is dealing a decisive blow to drug trafficking, but it has provided no evidence that the people killed were drug smugglers.
With Trump’s confirmation of the death toll on his Truth Social platform, that means US military actions against vessels in the region have killed at least 29 people.
The president has justified the strikes by asserting that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. He is relying on the same legal authority used by the administration of former President George W Bush when it declared a war on terrorism after the September 11 attacks on the US. This includes the ability to capture and detain combatants and use lethal force to take out their leadership. Trump is also treating the suspected traffickers as if they were enemy soldiers in a traditional war.
Previous similar strikes have raised concerns from Democratic lawmakers and legal experts who argue that such operations may exceed accepted wartime authority and risk violating international law.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said the latest targeted vessel had been “built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs”.
US military buildup
The mission comes amid a sharp US military buildup across the Caribbean, involving guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear-powered submarine and about 6,500 troops. The escalation has fuelled accusations that Washington is inching towards direct confrontation with Venezuela.
On Wednesday, Trump confirmed that he had authorised the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela, intensifying fears in Caracas that the US is attempting to topple President Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro has repeatedly denied involvement in drug trafficking and accused Washington of fabricating a narco-terrorism narrative as a pretext for trying to change the government. He condemned the recent maritime strikes as “a violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty and international law”.
Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, has formally requested the UN Security Council to issue a determination that the US strikes are illegal and to reaffirm Venezuela’s sovereign rights.
Dianne Buswell has opened up about juggling her first pregnancy while appearing on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and how much her unborn son loves the live band
Dianne Buswell has revealed she’s loving dancing while pregnant(Image: WireImage)
Pregnant Dianne Buswell says her unborn baby is already showing signs he’s going to follow in her footsteps. The mum-to-be took to the Strictly Come Dancing dance floor again last night with celebrity partner, Neighbours star Stefan Dennis.
Aussie Dianne – who is expecting a baby boy with YouTuber Joe Sugg early next year – says the baby is a big fan of the show. “There have been a few little Strictly kicks,” she beamed. “Especially when he’s listening to Dave Arch and the band.
“I don’t feel it when I dance. That’s probably rocking him to sleep. He will be having a good old time there.” Dianne, 36, announced last month that she was expecting a baby boy with her 2018 Strictly partner Joe, 34.
The first pro to compete while pregnant on the BBC show, she’s faced lots of support but also a barrage of opinions. Dianne brushed off any negativity, saying: “I have got some lovely messages. I want to be an advocate for mums who can stay active.
“I feel really good thanks. I feel pretty much the same as I felt last year. I feel better dancing. I felt worse when I had the time off last week, weirdly, so that was an interesting observation.”
Dianne was forced to miss out on last week’s movie week after Stefan was struck down by illness. They were back last night to perform Charleston to Dance Monkey by Tones and I.
Dianne said she’s loving dancing while pregnant. “So far so good,” she said. “I haven’t had to adapt anything at all. I’ve just continued doing exactly what I would normally do.
“We couldn’t be doing crazy lifts anyway because Stefan is the oldest competitor in the competition and you always choreograph dances that suit your partner. People who do these big lifts will be very different in height and size but me and Stefan are not like that so we go for what suits us better.
“I adapt not because I’m pregnant but because of my partner.” Actor Stefan, 66, said his week off gave him the chance to “rest and re-evaluate”.
“I came from the other side of the world and was thrown into a massive machine I didn’t really know anything about. Being sick gave me a chance to sit back and see what you do. The hardest thing has been learning how to dance and getting over the fear of I can’t dance. My subconscious thoughts are that I have two left feet. I don’t know how to move my body. I can’t do this. So the hardest thing is getting over that.”
Hoping to progress to next weekend’s show, Halloween week, Stefan says he’s already had to miss out on one spooky opportunity. “Before this my plan was to finish Neighbours,” he explained. “I was going to do a film and then I was going to go travelling with my wife and kids.
“It’s a shame I didn’t do the film because I was going to play a head vampire in a horror film which couldn’t be further from Paul Robinson but unfortunately I had to say no to the film because of Strictly.”
Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock performs on tonight’s results show. Watch at 7.15pm on BBC One.
Oct. 18 (UPI) — At least 10 people were taken to hospitals, including one with life-threatening injuries, after an apartment’s balcony collapsed near the University of Cincinnati, the city’s fire department said.
The collapse occurred at 10 p.m. Friday in the city’s Corryville neighborhood, firefighters said, according to WLWT-TV.
The balcony, which was 8 feet by 12 feet, fell about 20 feet into the pavement because of too many people, the fire department said.
Most of the victims were taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, about a half mile away.
Besides the life-threatening injury, four were described by the fire department as serious.
Deputy Fire Chief Nicholas Caliguri said “other victims may have self-transported to area hospitals.”
Some of the victims were UC students, fire department spokeswoman Lindsay Haegele.
“We want to assure you that the situation is being addressed with the highest priority,” said a letter to residents by Dayton-based Eclipse Community Management, which manages condominium and homeowners associations.
Students were celebrating after passing an exam, WXIX-TV reported.
Hamilton County’s Division of Buildings and Inspections was notified.
One neighbor told the Cincinnati Enquirer he saw 40 to 50 people on the street before the collapse.
In November 2019, one person died and others were injured when a six-floor building under construction in downtown Cincinnati partially collapsed.
Bosnia’s Serb entity names an interim president after separatist Milorad Dodik is barred from politics by a state court.
Published On 18 Oct 202518 Oct 2025
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Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Serb-majority entity has appointed Ana Trisic Babic as interim president, marking the first formal acknowledgement that Milorad Dodik is stepping aside after being barred from politics by a state court.
The Republika Srpska parliament confirmed Babic’s appointment on Saturday, saying she would serve until the early presidential elections scheduled for November 23.
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Lawmakers also annulled several separatist laws passed under Dodik that had challenged the authority of an international envoy and Bosnia’s constitutional court.
Dodik, a pro-Russian nationalist who has pushed for Republika Srpska to break away and join Serbia, had refused to vacate office despite receiving a political ban. He has continued to travel abroad and claim presidential powers while appealing the court’s ruling.
The US Department of the Treasury announced on Friday that it had removed four Dodik allies from its sanctions list, a move he publicly welcomed as he campaigns to have sanctions against himself lifted.
Dodik is currently sanctioned by the United States, United Kingdom and several European governments for actions that undermine the Dayton peace agreement that ended Bosnia’s 1992–95 war.
Separatist moves
Bosnia’s electoral authorities stripped Dodik of his presidential mandate in August following an appeals court verdict that sentenced him to one year in prison and barred him from political office for six years.
The Central Electoral Commission acted under a rule that forces the removal of any elected official sentenced to more than six months in jail.
A Sarajevo court had convicted Dodik in February for refusing to comply with decisions issued by the international envoy, Christian Schmidt, who oversees implementation of the Dayton accords.
Dodik dismissed the ruling at the time, saying he would remain in power as long as he retained the backing of the Bosnian Serb parliament, which his allies control. The Republika Srpska government called the verdict “unconstitutional and politically motivated”.
Dodik maintains strong support from regional allies, including Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He has repeatedly threatened to separate Republika Srpska from Bosnia, raising fears among Bosniak communities and prompting previous US administrations to impose sanctions.
Bosnia remains governed by the US-brokered Dayton Accords, which ended a devastating war that killed about 100,000 people. The agreement created two largely autonomous entities – Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation – with shared national institutions, including the presidency, military, judiciary and taxation system.
Tensions have surged in recent years as Dodik openly rejects the authority of the international envoy, declaring Schmidt’s decisions invalid inside Republika Srpska.
Louis Tomlinson has opened up about losing friend Liam PayneCredit: You Tube/The Diary Of A CEOLiam tragically died a year ago in ArgentinaCredit: AFPThe pair kept up their friendship even after One Direction split in 2016Credit: Getty
The pair were firm friends after being in One Direction together from 2010 and 2016 and they continued their friendship after the band split up.
Speaking about the grief of losing Liam, Louis told The Independent: “I naively thought that, at this point, I’d unfortunately be a little bit more well versed with grief than other people my age.
“I thought that might mean something, but it didn’t at all. It’s something I’ll never really accept. I don’t think.”
This isn’t the first time Louis has opened up about Liam as he recently spoke about him during an appearance on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast.
He told the Dragons’ Den star: “I could just go on and talk all day about how amazing he was, but I think we all looked up to him.
“I don’t think we would have been brave enough to say at that age when I was in the bnd, I think I would’ve had too much pride, but we all looked up to him massively.”
“I had the same feeling that I had with Felicity, and I think anyone has this when they’re around someone who’s struggling; my 150 per cent wasn’t nearly enough.
“And that’s when it’s my own arrogance thinking that I could have helped really, because it was so much deeper than what I could have done for him. He was definitely struggling at that time in his life.”
Liam had flown to Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy for a five-day holiday, to see his ex-1D bandmate Niall Horan in concert.
Liam extended the trip but Kate returned home to the US.
Crowds packed the US capital on Saturday, part of nationwide ‘No Kings’ protests against President Donald Trump’s policies on immigration, education, and security. Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi reports from the scene.
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who spent the week belting “You Don’t Own Me” with the same gusto as an empowered ex-wife dressed in white.
Diane Keaton died this week at age 79 at her Los Angeles home. The L.A. native had a career that spanned more than five decades and included a wide-ranging and indelible list of performances in films such as “The Godfather” saga, “Annie,” Baby Boom,” “Father of the Bride” (and its sequel), “The First Wives Club,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” “The Family Stone” — the list goes on and on. Take a moment to read film editor Joshua Rothkop’s illuminating snapshot of Keaton’s life. Of course, her legacy goes far beyond the performance. Times film critic Amy Nicholson wrote how Keaton showed us how to dress up our insecurities and embrace the kooky. And if you want to take a dive into her oeuvre, we have a roundup of 10 Keaton performances worth watching. Pluto TV is featuring an on-demand collection called “Remembering Diane Keaton,” with 15 of her most beloved films available to stream anytime.
And speaking of women who leave a lasting impression — this week saw the return of Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, the highly competent seasoned foreign service officer, with the arrival of “The Diplomat’s” third season. The Netflix series has spent its time tracking the career diplomat’s journey being primed to assume the role of vice president. Its backdrop storyline of an aging president who is expected to pass the torch to a younger female vice president — and the chaos that ensues when the plan is upended — may have real-world parallels, but the show’s creator, Debora Cahn, whose other credits include “The West Wing” and “Homeland,” insists the series is not a commentary. She stopped by Guest Spot to discuss the political thriller.
Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our streaming recommendations are an eclectic pair: a documentary that chronicles the 60-year movement to convert abandoned railroads into public spaces around America and, for those looking to make their viewing of Guillermo Del Toro’s take on “Frankenstein” a double-feature kind of night, we make the case for a ‘90s gory horror-comedy twist on the legend.
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Diane Keaton arrives at a news conference at the 40th Cannes Film Festival to introduce her feature directorial debut, “Heaven,” in 1987.
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
A view of the Island Line Trail in “From Rails to Trails.”
(PBS)
“From Rails to Trails” (PBS.org)
Trains ran close to where I grew up, and I’m still stupidly excited whenever I see one in action. There are fewer now than there were then, but part of their romance is the alternative routes they carved through the land. “From Rails to Trails” documents the 60-year movement to transform abandoned rail lines — which is to say, most rail lines — into paths for biking and hiking, turning them into linear public parks, making the countryside accessible but also remaking urban spaces. It’s a movement not without its opponents, its reversals and consequences, including the gentrification that can follow them. But this often moving hour-long documentary is a paean to old-fashioned coalition building and community activism — needed now more than ever — and the success of a new idea many now take for granted. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg chime in. New voice of the everyman Edward Norton narrates. — Robert Lloyd
“Frankenhooker” (Pluto TV, Tubi)
The lament of “The Bride of Frankenstein” is that the heroine herself is only onscreen for a few minutes. Get your fix by watching Frank Henenlotter’s “Frankenhooker.” This sleazy-brilliant 1990 romp is so clever it ranks (severed) head and shoulders with the black-and-white classics. An inventor, Jeffrey (James Lorinz), is bereft over losing his fiancée Elizabeth (Patty Mullen) to a freak lawnmower accident. He vows to rebuild his future bride — but hotterr. “I can make you the centerfold goddess of the century,” Jeffrey says with a leer. The real vanity is his. He wants a sexy, mindless babe. Henenlotter (also of the schlock hit “Basket Case”) claimed he didn’t think deeply about the subtext of his horror movies, a feint that dates back farther than George A. Romero pretending “Night of the Living Dead’s” martyred Black hero wasn’t a comment on race. They’re both fibbers. “Frankenhooker” is a giddy, popcorn-chomping comment on the disposability of women, especially the sex workers Jeffrey murders for spare parts. But what brings it to life is Mullen’s uproarious resurrected sexpot. Stomping around wearing a purple bra and a ghastly sneer, she belongs to no man — ring on her finger or not. Make it a double feature with Guillermo Del Toro’s terrific new “Frankenstein” in theaters this week. — Amy Nicholson
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Allison Janney as Grace, Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler and Keri Russell as Kate Wyler in Season 3 scene from “The Diplomat.”
(Alex Bailey / Netflix)
Will the U.S. ever be ready for a female president? Time will tell. But “The Diplomat” has provided its contribution to the list of fictional ones. The Netflix drama, a fast-paced look at the art of diplomacy, stars Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, a newly-appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom who is tapped from the ranks of career diplomats to be quietly prepped to become vice president. The plan, of course, hasn’t gone as expected. In the whirlwind final moments of last season, the president dies and suddenly the person Kate was enlisted to push out, Vice President Grace Penn (Allison Janney), is whisked into duty — just as Kate has discovered the VP is responsible for hatching a terrorist plot. The show returned for its third season earlier this week and explores the aftermath as Penn is sworn in as president. Here, creator Debora Cahn shares what she was interested in unpacking in Season 3’s marriage dynamics, orchestrating a “West Wing” reunion and the time she met former Vice President Kamala Harris. There are some mild spoilers ahead, so bookmark for later if you haven’t begun the season! — Yvonne Villarreal
What did you want out of Kate’s journey this season? Her professional ambitions are once again tested by her marriage. Hal keeps claiming it’s Kate’s time to be in the spotlight and yet he manages to steal it.
We wanted to look at how it happens that someone like Hal winds up in the spotlight even when he’s desperately trying not to; the circumstances that surround decisions like this, which make it such that even the people in the middle of them don’t really have any control over it. You can look at what Grace is doing, and you can understand why she thinks Kate is fantastic, but that the choice, in terms of what’s going to make it easier for her to get through the day, is Hal. And we didn’t want to have a science fiction White House where there are two women happily running the country. That’s just not the world that we’re living in. And it felt like the most honest thing that we could do is tell a story about what it means to be really qualified and really experienced and really ready, and then watch it all slip away at the last second.
The season includes a delightful “West Wing” reunion, a show you wrote for. Allison Janney returns as VP-turned-President Grace Penn and Bradley Whitford portrays her husband, Todd. What was it like to see them back together onscreen? And what did you want their marriage dynamic to say?
It was like first day of school jitters for the first day that each of them was on set. We really wanted to make sure that this was something new and it wasn’t a reference to the work that we’d done together in the past. And the second they started, it was just clear that we were watching a new relationship that these two great actors were building together and informed by the fact that they know each other quite well and that they’ve been good friends for 20 years, but using that to create something new and fresh and really, really satisfying.
This is a marriage that has some very similar structural dynamics to Kate and Hal, but there are some fundamental differences, which is, there was never an assumption that Todd’s career could continue to function alongside Grace’s once she became vice president; and certainly when she becomes president, there’s no question that will become the focus for both of them. And so there are dynamics that Kate and Hal still wrestle with, which we see are kind of absolved with Todd and Grace. And in some ways that helps, and in some ways it doesn’t help.
We’re looking at a couple that’s 10 years farther down the road in their marriage and have made, in some ways, a more pragmatic decision about what it means to have two smart, capable people with careers existing at the same time. Their decision is that one of them isn’t going to exist right now. I think the thing that I enjoy most about both Hal and Todd is that these are people who really, really, really love their wives and really want to be supportive and they still fail or they struggle so, so mightily. We’ve talked about this before: I don’t like writing villains. I don’t want to write politicians that have bad values or selfish goals. I also don’t want to write people in a marriage who don’t give a s— about each other. I would much rather look at the much larger problem, which is, you do really care about each other. You do really want the best for each other, and you still can’t manage to make it happen.
Allison Janney as President Grace Penn and Bradley Whitford as First Gentleman Todd Penn in “The Diplomat.”
(Clifton Prescod / Netflix)
“The Diplomat” premiered in a different political climate from the one it’s in now. The show is not a direct commentary on what’s happening now, but how does the current reality, particularly as it relates to what those in civil service are facing, inform how you think about or build stories moving forward? What sorts of questions are you asking now of people who work in the government?
We write a story two years before the audience watches it, so we we don’t want to be making a direct commentary. Even if we did, the world is moving so fast, we couldn’t try and keep up. But we do want to be in the foreign policy headspace that the world is in, and try to be looking at what are the bigger questions and bigger conflicts that face people who are working in this field. We think a lot about the fact that 300,000 people were fired from the federal government. We think a lot about what it’s like to work for this administration and — I’m trying to figure out what to say without getting into Season 4, which I don’t want to do. It doesn’t inform the specifics of any of the stories that we’re telling, but it does inform the worldview and the bigger questions that face people in this field as the field changes. As the world changes.
You’re writing about people whose job it is to make hard decisions every day. What was the hardest decision you had to make for this third season — either in the writing phase or the production phase?
We moved the base of production from the UK back to New York. The first two seasons we were based in the UK, and then for Season 3, we did half and half. There were a lot of really good reasons for that. It also meant that we had a crew that grew this organism with us — and we were very close to them; they had huge influence on the show — and leaving them behind was really, really terrible. It’s a tough time in the film and television industry right now, and we felt pretty good about bringing jobs back to this community. That was something that was important to us and we really wanted to do. So, we are comfortable with the decision that we made, but, boy, it sure wasn’t fun making it and going through it. It’s people’s livelihood. It’s not a small thing.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris recently released a book chronicling her whirlwind and brief campaign as a 2024 presidential candidate. Have you read it?
I have not read it. But did I tell you about when we met her?
No. Tell me. You were also filming this third season during the election, right?
We were we were shooting it during the election. We were writing it during the election. And we we were worried about how it was going to look. We didn’t want it to look like a commentary on this presidency. But we did have a female vice president that we liked a whole lot, and a male president that we really loved and was of a certain age and didn’t make it through the process — the dynamics kept getting more and more troubling.
Keri and I were at the [White House Correspondents’] Dinner. And there was a receiving line, and we met and shook hands with the president and the first lady and the vice president and the second gentleman. And I said, “Ma’am, I’m writing a story about what it’s like for a woman who’s really experienced and really smart and really capable and really ready to do a job who then gets passed over for someone who is perhaps less qualified.” And she laughed. Then she said, “Call me.”
Have you called?
I have not called. I felt like she had some stuff going on. I didn’t really want to bother her and say, “Heyyyyy … let’s talk about how that went …”
What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
“Dying for Sex” [Hulu, Disney+]. It was brutal and intense and very funny and extremely well-written. And I just thought what they did from a public health service perspective, sharing practical information about what it actually means to go through the process of death, I thought it was just a huge public service.
What’s your go-to “comfort watch,” the movie or TV show you go back to again and again?
“Postcards from the Edge” [VOD] — it is just so smart and so funny and both Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep are just absolutely to die for.
Oct. 18 (UPI) — Senate Democrats and Republicans are not budging on their demands to temporarily fund the federal government and end the shutdown as key dates approach.
The shutdown is the federal government’s third-longest and entered its 18th day on Saturday after the Senate failed to approve a temporary funding measure for the 10th time on Thursday and adjourned for the weekend.
More votes are expected to be held next week, but if the Senate stalemate continues, active federal workers won’t receive their full paychecks on Friday for the first time during the current shutdown, according to The Hill.
Those federal workers who are still on the job also received only partial pay on Oct. 10, which affected an estimated 2 million employees and their families.
Federal workers are guaranteed back pay when the shutdown eventually ends and the government is funded, in accordance with a 2019 federal law.
While active federal workers could miss their first full paychecks on Friday, military personnel are slated to be paid a week later on Oct. 31.
President Donald Trump earlier announced his administration has located $8 billion in unused research-and-development allocations from the 2025 fiscal year that ended on Sept 30.
He used that money to pay 1.2 million military personnel on Wednesday, but several congressional lawmakers question the legality of doing so.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., intends to hold a vote to pay military personnel and other “excepted” federal workers.
“We’re going to give [senators] a chance to pay the military next week,” Thune told media.
Senate staffers also are slated to be paid on Monday and House staffers on Oct. 31, but the funds are not available.
Another pressing issue is the Affordable Care Act’s annual open enrollment period starting on Nov. 1.
A House-approved continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through Nov. 21 does not include an extension of ACA tax credits, which expire at the end of the year.
The 18-day shutdown will last at least into Monday and only has been surpassed by a 21-day shutdown from Dec. 16, 1995, to Jan. 6, 1996, and a 35-day shutdown that started on Dec. 22, 2018, and lasted until Jan. 25, 2019.
Senate Democrats mostly have refused to approve the continuing resolution and instead offered an alternative funding measure that would fund the federal government through Oct. 31 and would include an extension of the ACA tax credits and Medicaid eligibility.
Senate Republicans mostly prefer to negotiate such things in the 2026 fiscal year budget, though.
Another pressing date is Nov. 21, which is the Friday after Thanksgiving and one of the busiest travel weekends in the United States.
If the shutdown extends into the Thanksgiving weekend, a shortage of air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration workers would greatly affect air travel.
The president has cited the shutdown when laying off federal workers, but U.S. District of Northern California Judge Susan Illstonhas temporarily blocked the Trump administration from continuing to lay off federal workers who are represented by two public sector unions.
On Friday, Illston said she might expand the injunction to include members of three more labor unions, Roll Call reported.
Former President Bill Clinton appointed Illston to the federal bench in 1995.
Hamas says it has been working to recover the remains of dead hostages beneath the rubble left by Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip
The Red Cross has received two bodies in Gaza that Hamas says are hostages, the Israeli military has said.
The remains will be returned to Israel and formally identified. Hamas earlier said the bodies had been recovered in the Palestinian territory on Saturday.
The two individuals bring the total number of deceased hostages returned to Israel to 12. The remains of a further 16 people are yet to be repatriated.
The delay has caused outrage in Israel, as the terms of last week’s ceasefire deal stipulated the release from Gaza of all hostages, living and dead. Hamas says it has struggled to find the remaining bodies under rubble.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has ordered the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt to remain closed until further notice, and said its reopening would be considered based on the return of the final hostage remains and the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
The IDF has stressed that Hamas must “uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the hostages”.
But the US has downplayed suggestions that the delay amounts to a breach of the ceasefire deal, which President Donald Trump claimed as a major victory on a visit to Israel and Egypt last week.
The text of the deal has not been published, but a leaked version that was seen in Israeli media appeared to account for the possibility that not all of the bodies would be immediately accessible.
Hamas has blamed Israel for making the task difficult, as air strikes on Gaza have reduced many buildings to rubble, and Israel does not allow heavy machinery and diggers into the territory.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the BBC News Channel that the Gaza Strip “is now a wasteland”, with people picking through the rubble for bodies and trying to find their homes – many of which have been flattened.
As part of the US-brokered ceasefire deal, Hamas also returned all 20 living hostages to Israel.
Israel’s military confirmed the identity of the tenth deceased hostage returned by Hamas on Friday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) named him as Eliyahu Margalit, whose body was taken from Nir Oz kibbutz after he was killed on 7 October 2023.
Hostages and Missing Families Forum
Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum described Mr Margalit as “a cowboy at heart” who managed a horse stables for many years
Also as part of the deal, Israel freed 250 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
The bodies of 15 Palestinians were handed over by Israel via the Red Cross to officials in Gaza on Saturday, the Hamas-run health ministry said, bringing the total number of bodies it has received to 135.
Separately on Saturday, 11 members of one Palestinian family were killed by an Israeli tank shell, according to the Hamas-run civil defence ministry, in what was the deadliest single incident involving Israeli soldiers in Gaza since the start of the ceasefire.
The Israeli military said soldiers had fired at a “suspicious vehicle” that had crossed the so-called yellow line demarcating the area still occupied by Israeli forces in Gaza.
There are no physical markers of this line, and it is unclear if the bus did cross it. The BBC has asked the IDF for the coordinates of the incident.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 others hostage.
At least 68,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen by the UN as reliable.
It was another eventful week in last night’s Strictly Come Dancing as the celebrities and their professional dance partners took to the dance floor for the fourth time
Tonight, the Strictly Come Dancing dancers and celebrities took to the dancefloor for the fourth time, in hopes they don’t become the third casualty of the ballroom.
Tensions and pressure are rising this week, as last week saw Lorraine star Ross King and his partner Jowita Przystał were the second couple to be eliminated from the show after Thomas Skinner and Amy Dowden were the first to be eliminated from the show.
Ross’ eviction didn’t come as a surprise to most viewers – but what did leave them in shock was EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal and her partner Julian Caillon finding out they were in the bottom two. This week, fans were left in shock when Shirley Ballas gave La Voix and Aljaž a 2 for their Cha Cha Cha to “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”
However, later on in the show, Shirley did a complete 180 as she awarded her first 10 of the series to Alex Kingston, who made show history by being the first to ever receive a 10 for the Rumba in Week 4.
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer – 6 7 6 7 = 26
Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova – 4 6 7 7 = 24
La Voix and Aljaz Skorjanec – 3 4 2 5 = 14
It was an emotional show tonight, with Alex’s Rumba leaving Shirley in tears, as she got up onto the dance floor to give her a kiss – something Tess said has never been done in the show’s history.
It wasn’t the only historical moment, however, as she also became the first ever contestant to receive a 10 for the Rumba in Week 4.
Now, the celebrities will have to wait as the public votes come in, and this week it’s Craig Revel Horwood who has the power of the deciding vote should it be a tie.
