On October 17, 2025, hedge fund TB Alternative Assets Ltd. disclosed a new position in Strategy (MSTR 2.12%), formerly known as MicroStrategy, acquiring 126,000 shares for an estimated $40.6 million.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

What happened

According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission dated October 17, 2025, TB Alternative Assets Ltd. disclosed a new position in Strategy during the third quarter ended September 30, 2025. The fund reported owning 126,000 shares worth $40.6 million. The purchase corresponds to an estimated $40.6 million transaction value, calculated using average prices for the reporting period ended September 30, 2025.

What else to know

This new position represents 6.1% of TB Alternative Assets Ltd.’s reportable U.S. equity AUM as of September 30, 2025.

TB Alternative Assets’ top holdings after the filing are:

• META: $76.97 million (11.5% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• GOOG: $58.56 million (8.8% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• INTC: $51.26 million (7.7% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• PDD: $45.72 million (6.8% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025
• MSTR: $40.60 million (6.1% of AUM) as of September 30, 2025

As of October 16, 2025, shares were priced at $283.84, up 34.3% over the past year and outperforming the S&P 500 by 32.8 percentage points during the same period.

Company Overview

Company Snapshot

Strategy provides enterprise analytics solutions, enabling organizations to derive insights from data at scale. The company leverages its robust software platform and specialized services to address complex business intelligence needs for large enterprises.

Strategy offers enterprise analytics software, including a software platform with features such as hyperintelligence, data visualization, reporting, and mobile analytics.

The company generates revenue primarily through software licensing, support services, consulting, and education offerings for enterprise clients. It serves a diversified customer base across industries such as retail, finance, technology, healthcare, and the public sector.

Foolish take

Hedge fund TB Alternative Assets’ investment in Strategy shares is noteworthy for a few reasons. The buy represents an initial position in the stock. Moreover, the hedge fund went big with the purchase, putting Strategy shares into its top five holdings. Lastly, those top holdings are dominated by tech stocks, and although Strategy began as a data analytics software platform, it’s now more of a cryptocurrency play.

Strategy became the first publicly-traded company to buy Bitcoin as part of its capital allocation strategy back in 2020. Since then, it has transformed into “the world’s first and largest Bitcoin Treasury Company,” according to Strategy.

As of July 29, the company holds 3% of all Bitcoin in existence. This brought its Q2 total assets to $64.8 billion with $64.4 billion of that in digital assets. As a result, Strategy’s fortunes rise and fall with the value of the cryptocurrency rather than its software products.

So far, the gamble has paid off. As Bitcoin’s value has risen, so has Strategy’s stock. And now, the company is leveraging its cryptocurrency holdings to offer various Bitcoin-related investment vehicles.

TB Alternative Assets may have found this new direction for the former MicroStrategy a compelling case for investing in the stock. If you’re seeking exposure to Bitcoin, Strategy offers a unique take, and with the stock down from its 52-week high of $543 reached last November, now may be a good time to buy.

Glossary

13F AUM: The total market value of U.S. equity securities reported by an institutional investment manager in quarterly SEC filings.
Position: The amount of a particular security or asset held by an investor or fund.
Stake: The ownership interest or share held in a company by an investor or fund.
Holding: A security or asset owned by an investor or fund, often listed in portfolio disclosures.
Outperforming: Achieving a higher return compared to a specific benchmark or index over a given period.
Enterprise analytics: Software and tools that help organizations analyze large-scale data to support business decision-making.
Business intelligence: Technologies and strategies used to analyze business data and support better decision-making.
Software licensing: The practice of granting customers the right to use software under specific terms and conditions.
Support services: Assistance provided to customers for software maintenance, troubleshooting, and technical issues.
Consulting: Professional advisory services that help organizations implement and optimize software or business processes.
TTM: The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report.
Reportable U.S. equity AUM: The portion of assets under management invested in U.S. stocks that must be disclosed in regulatory filings.

The crash and Verstappen’s subsequent sprint win cut the four-time champion’s deficit to Piastri to 55 points, while he is now 33 behind Norris.

The Australian led Verstappen by 104 points after the Dutch race on 31 August, so nearly half that advantage has been eroded in three grands prix and a sprint. There are still six races and two further sprints to come.

In the normal run of things, it seems inevitable that Piastri will lose more ground to Verstappen on Sunday in Texas. Norris has a chance to get ahead, but as he pointed out, the McLaren has not looked like a Verstappen-beating car at any point this weekend.

“It’s going to be difficult,” Norris said. “We were hoping to learn a lot in the sprint in terms of how the car set-up would be from qualifying to race and hopefully make tweaks but that didn’t go to plan so we are certainly on the back foot. But we won’t make it an excuse for tomorrow.

“It’s clear we were not going to be as quick as the Red Bull so we have to be happy with second. It’s not being distracted by the mess and nonsense that everyone creates.

“Saturdays have never been as good this year so I’m hoping we can turn it up tomorrow and be a little bit quicker.

“I have to be optimistic. Every lap we did today was 0.3-0.5secs off Max so to turn that around will be pretty difficult. I’m sure if Max had done his final lap he would have gone a good step quicker anyway.

“They have been quick in a lot of races recently. They have been doing a very good job and seemed to catch us up a little bit. It’s not a lot, just enough that they are more consistently ahead. And then you can get more opportunities and of course Max is good at making the most of them.”

Meanwhile, Stella admitted that McLaren were even more aware of just how potent Verstappen can be for the remainder of the season.

“I would have expected a smaller gap here, if anything, so we have to look at the facts, we have to look at the numbers,” he said. “Just objectively, not necessarily we maximised what the performance was available today in the car.

“But we need to be ready as a team and as drivers for Max and Red Bull being competitive and possibly the fastest car at every one of the remaining races.”

Mnangagwa allies push for a term extension to 2030 as ZANU-PF factions split and opposition promises a legal fight.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.”

The UK’s best food and drink can be found in a market town that’s been dubbed the ‘loveliest town in England’ – and it’s not where you’d expect but has grown in popularity over the years

Long hailed by poet John Betjeman as “the loveliest town in England,” Ludlow is also globally recognised for its food and drink scene.

With over 500 listed buildings and a skyline dominated by a Norman castle, Ludlow combines ancient charm with modern appeal, cobbled streets lead to delis, bakeries, cosy pubs and renowned restaurants.

Often referred to as the ‘food and drink capital of the Marches’, Ludlow’s hospitality industry thrives due to its diverse local produce. In 2024, a Which? Travel survey of more than 9,000 people asked participants to rate the food and drink in their favourite inland towns and villages.

READ MORE: ‘Magical’ village with hardly any tourists as they visit famous neighboursREAD MORE: Full list of new travel rules for Brits heading to Europe for October half term

Ludlow triumphed as the nation’s top-rated food and drink destination. It was the only inland town to secure a full five stars for food, reports the Express.

As Which? Travel put it: “Instead of a handful of high-end eateries, there’s a culture of local produce as well as numerous pubs and cafes, served by people who care about the food.”

This ethos is reflected on the plate, with a focus on fresh, local ingredients and menus that change with the seasons. TripAdvisor currently ranks Old Downton Lodge as Ludlow’s best restaurant.

Riverside favourite CSONS is another beloved spot for relaxed, quality dining, along with Kin Kitchen and The French Pantry for cafe and bistro-style dining.

Pub lovers are spoilt for choice with establishments including The Queens and The Boot Inn, both receiving rave reviews on TripAdvisor.

Experts from Ludlow Distillery note that the town’s culinary scene thrives thanks to a strong network of food and drink producers, ranging from specialist cheesemakers and bakers to craft brewers and distillers.

They said: “The strength of this offering is best seen (and tasted) by a visit to the Local to Ludlow Market in the Castle Square (where growers and makers based within 30 miles of the town sell a range of high-quality and carefully selected produce), and the award-winning Broad Bean fine food delicatessen on Broad Street.”

The town embraces ‘Slow Food’, a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members worldwide that links gastronomic pleasure with community commitment. Over recent years, the initiative in Ludlow has grown substantially.

Slow Food Ludlow Marches offers year-round events, including visits, talks, demonstrations, meals and Taste Workshops at Ludlow Food Festival in September.

Ludlow Food Festival remains one of the town’s biggest annual events, regularly drawing around 15,000 visitors to Ludlow Castle over three days.

While it has finished for 2025, locals and tourists can look forward to the Winter Festival at Ludlow Castle. Scheduled to take place from 28th to 30th November 2025, the event will showcase local entertainment, mulled wine, and popular favourites from the Ludlow Food Festival.

To make the most of your visit, plan it for the second or fourth Thursday of the month when the Ludlow Local Produce Market is held, featuring food and drink produced within a 30-mile radius.

The stalls emphasise sustainability and seasonality, turning an ordinary shopping trip into a delightful afternoon outing. Beyond Shropshire, Wells was named as the runner-up for inland dining by Which? Travel.

Other places that received accolades include Lavenham in Suffolk, Llangollen in Denbighshire, Stamford in Lincolnshire, and Cartmel in Cumbria. Each offers a unique flavour of a gastronomic getaway.

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Investment advisor Paradiem, LLC disclosed a new purchase of Owens Corning (OC 0.58%), adding 85,047 shares in Q3 2025, an estimated $12.48 million trade based on the average price for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2025.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

What happened

According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission dated October 17, 2025, Paradiem, LLC increased its stake in Owens Corning substantially during the third quarter. The fund acquired 85,047 additional shares, bringing its total position to 94,067 shares, with a quarter-end reported value of $13.31 million.

What else to know

Paradiem, LLC’s addition brings Owens Corning to 3.1% of 13F reportable assets as of Q3 2025.

Paradiem’s top holdings after the filing as of September 30, 2025 are:

• NASDAQ:LRCX: $27.44 million (6.4% of AUM)
• NYSE:TEL: $19.53 million (4.55% of AUM)
• NYSE:VLO: $17.87 million (4.2% of AUM)
• NYSE:LMT: $16.13 million (3.76% of AUM)
• NYSE:CAT: $15.79 million (3.7% of AUM)

As of October 17, 2025, shares of Owens Corning were priced at $126.96, with a one-year change of -33.04%, underperforming the S&P 500 by 45.03 percentage points.

Company Overview

Company Snapshot

Owens Corning is a leading global manufacturer specializing in insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composite products, with a diversified revenue base across construction and industrial end markets. The company leverages its scale and integrated operations to deliver essential building materials to a broad customer base.

Owens Corning manufactures and markets insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composite materials across three segments: composites, insulation, and roofing. It generates revenue through direct sales and distribution of building materials, glass reinforcements, insulation products, and roofing components to construction and industrial markets worldwide.

The company serves insulation installers, home centers, distributors, contractors, and manufacturers in residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.

Foolish take

Financial services company Paradiem upped its stake in Owens Corning in a big way. The stock went from 0.3% of the fund’s holdings to 3.1% in Q3. This action demonstrates a belief in Owens Corning despite shares being down significantly from the 52-week high of $214.53 reached last November.

Owens Corning stock is down this year due to macroeconomic conditions, such as higher interest rates and persistent inflation, which caused a slowdown in the construction sector. The company also underwent changes, such as divesting businesses in China and South Korea, to sharpen its focus, particularly on the North American and European markets.

Despite these factors, Owens Corning delivered 10% year-over-year sales growth in the second quarter to $2.75 billion. And its moves to divest less profitable businesses resulted in Q2 diluted earnings per share increasing 34% year over year to $3.91 for its continuing operations.

With the company’s stock down but its financials looking solid, Paradiem may have taken the opportunity to scoop up shares. After all, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut interest rates soon, which can help to stimulate the construction industry. These factors make Owens Corning a compelling investment, especially while its stock is down.

Glossary

13F reportable assets: Assets that institutional investment managers must disclose quarterly to the SEC, showing certain equity holdings.
AUM (Assets Under Management): The total market value of investments that a fund or manager oversees on behalf of clients.
Stake: The ownership interest or number of shares held in a particular company by an investor or fund.
Quarter-end: The last day of a fiscal quarter, used as a reference point for financial reporting.
Dividend Yield: Annual dividends paid by a company divided by its share price, expressed as a percentage.
TTM: The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report.
Filing: An official document submitted to a regulatory authority, often containing financial or ownership information.
Segments: Distinct business divisions within a company, often based on product lines or markets served.
Distribution: The process of delivering products from manufacturers to end customers or intermediaries.
End markets: The industries or customer groups that ultimately use a company’s products or services.

Would the Dodgers have paid $4 million for Shohei Ohtani’s production on Friday night?

“Maybe I would have,” team owner Mark Walter said with a laugh.

Four million dollars is how much Ohtani has received from the Dodgers.

Not for the game. Not for the week. Not for the year.

For this year and last year.

Ohtani could be the greatest player in baseball history. Is he also the greatest free-agent acquisition of all-time?

“You bet,” Walter said.

Even before Ohtani blasted three homers and struck out 10 batters over six scoreless innings in a historic performance to secure his team’s place in the World Series, the Dodgers were a target of complaints over the perception they were buying championships. Their payroll this season is more than $416 million, according to Spotrac.

During the on-field celebration that followed the 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, manager Dave Roberts told the Dodger Stadium crowd, “I’ll tell you, before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball. Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!”

What detractors ignore is how the Dodgers aren’t the only team that spent big dollars this year to chase a title. As Ohtani’s contract demonstrates, it’s how they spend that separates them from the sport’s other wealthy franchises.

The New York Mets spent more than $340 million, the New York Yankees $319 million and the Philadelphia Phillies $308 million. None of them are still playing.

The Dodgers are still playing, and one of the reasons is because of how opportunistic they are.

When the Boston Red Sox were looking for a place to dump Mookie Betts before he became a free agent, the Dodgers traded for him and signed him to an extension. When the Atlanta Braves refused to extend a six-year offer to Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers stepped in and did.

Something else that helps: Players want to play for them.

Consider the case of the San Francisco Giants, who can’t talk star players into taking their money.

The Giants pursued Bryce Harper, who turned them down. They pursued Aaron Judge, who turned them down. They pursued Ohtani, who turned them down. They pursued Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who turned them down.

Notice a pattern?

Unable to recruit an impact hitter in free agency, the Giants turned their attention to the trade market and acquired a distressed asset in malcontent Rafael Devers. They still missed the postseason.

The Dodgers don’t have any such problems attracting talent. Classified as an international amateur because he was under the age of 25, Roki Sasaki was eligible to sign only a minor-league contract this winter. While the signing bonuses that could be offered varied from team to team, the differences were relatively small. Sasaki was urged by his agent to minimize financial considerations when picking a team.

Sasaki chose the Dodgers.

Players such as Blake Snell, Will Smith and Max Muncy signed what could be below-market deals to come to or stay with the Dodgers.

There is also the Ohtani factor.

Ohtani didn’t want the team that signed him to be financially hamstrung, which is why he insisted that it defer the majority of his 10-year, $700-million contract. The Dodgers are paying Ohtani just $2 million annually, with the remainder owed after he retires.

Without Ohtani agreeing to delayed payments, who knows if the Dodgers would have signed the other pitchers who comprise their dominant rotation, Yamamoto, Snell and Tyler Glasnow.

None of this is to say the Dodgers haven’t made any mistakes, the $102 million they committed to Trevor Bauer a decision they would certainly like to take back.

But the point is they spend.

“We put money into the team, as you know,” Walter said. “We’re trying to win.”

Nothing is stopping any other team from making the financial commitments necessary to compete with the Dodgers. Franchises don’t have to make annual profits to be lucrative, as their values have skyrocketed. Teams that were purchased for hundreds of millions of dollars are now worth billions.

Example: Arte Moreno bought the Angels in 2003 for $183.5 million. Forbes values them today at $2.75 billion. If or when Moreno sells the team, he will receive a huge return on his investment.

The calls for a salary cap are nothing more than justifications by cheap owners for their refusal to invest in the civic institutions under their control.

The Dodgers aren’t ruining baseball. They might not do everything right, but as far as their spending is concerned, they’re doing right by their fans.

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.

Social Security was never meant to make up the entirety of anyone’s retirement income. The fact is, however, some people are collecting surprisingly big checks. This year’s maximum-possible monthly payment is $5,108, or $61,296 per year. That’s almost as much as the median salary U.S. workers are currently taking home, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How did they do it, and what will it take for you to do it as well? Here’s how to get the very most you can out of the government-managed entitlement program.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. A minimum of 35 years’ worth of work-based taxable income

There are three components to your future Social Security benefits. One of them the sheer number of years you earned taxable income as an employee. You’ll need to work for at least 35 years to maximize your payments.

See, when calculating your monthly benefit, the Social Security Administration looks at your inflation-adjusted income in your 35 highest-earning years. You don’t have to work a full 35 years to claim benefits, to be clear. It’s just that for any year less than 35 that you don’t earn any reported income, the program fills in those blanks with a value of $0, dragging down your annual average.

Conversely, working more than 35 years won’t necessarily help, since you only get credit for your best 35. There may still be an upside to working more than 35 years though. If you didn’t earn a great deal of money in some of them but are making good money now, you’ll be replacing some of those lower-earning years with higher-earning ones, raising your overall average of your top 35.

2. Strong earnings for at least 35 of those years

It’s not just a matter of making good money for a minimum of 35 years though. You must earn well above average earnings for that length of time, reaching or eclipsing Social Security’s taxable income threshold in each of those.

And these thresholds are pretty high. This year, for instance, the program doesn’t stop increasing your FICA tax liability until you reach earnings of $176,100. Here’s the minimum amount of taxable wages you would have needed to earn each and every year going all the way back to 1986 to max out your future benefits payments.

To be clear, although you pay into Social Security’s pool of funds via taxes on wages up to these amounts, you don’t pay additional FICA taxes above and beyond these amounts (although you do pay ever-rising income tax the more money you make, since tax rates rise the more you earn). The program stops taxing you beyond these levels because it wouldn’t offer you any additional benefit in return. Again, the absolute ceiling is $5,108 per month.

3. Waiting until you turn 70 to claim benefits

Finally, although you can initiate your Social Security retirement benefits as soon as you turn 62, doing so would dramatically reduce the size of your check by as much as 30% of your intended benefit at their full retirement age, depending on when you were born. Even claiming benefits at your official full retirement age, however, still wouldn’t get you to the maximum-possible benefit. To secure the maximum amount of $5,108, you must until you reach the age of 70 to begin your Social Security payments. That will improve the size of most people’s payments by 24% (if not more) above their payment if claiming at their full retirement age.

Just know that there’s no point in waiting any longer than this to file, since Social Security stops adding credit for delaying your benefits beyond the age of 70. In fact, there’s good reason to claim pretty soon after you reach this point. The Social Security Administration will back pay you some of what it owes you if you don’t file right away. But it will only give you a maximum of six months’ worth of back pay, no matter how long after you turn 70 you claim your retirement benefits.

Prioritize what you can control

You know there’s no way you’re going to qualify for this amount? That’s OK. Most people don’t. Fewer than 20% of recipients see monthly checks of more than $3,000, in fact.

Don’t let that discourage you though. Even modest wage-earners can put themselves in a far better financial situation with their own savings than they’d ever be able to achieve with Social Security. Most calculations of Social Security contributions’ effective rate of return only put the figure in the mid-single-digits, versus the stock market’s average annual gain of around 10%.

Besides, Social Security was never meant to be anyone’s sole source of retirement income anyway. Do what you reasonably can to max it out, but mostly stay focused on maximizing the growth of your own personal retirement nest egg.

Two-time Paralympic champion Stephen Bate secured a golden finish to his 12-year career by winning the men’s tandem individual pursuit title at the Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.

Bate and pilot Christopher Latham achieved victory by catching Italian rivals Lorenzo Bernard and pilot Paolo Toto in an impressive display.

It ensured Bate ended his career as a five-time world champion across road and track events, and a five-time Paralympic medallist.

It was in Rio nine years ago where he and then-pilot Adam Duggleby achieved a golden Paralympic double in the individual pursuit and road time trial events.

Partnered by Latham on his return to the Brazilian capital, with whom he won individual pursuit silver at his final Paralympic Games in Paris last summer, Bate signed off in style on another hugely successful day for the British team.

That was one of three gold medals won by the British team on Saturday, as 21-year-old Archie Atkinson regained the men’s C4 10km scratch race title.

Elizabeth Jordan and pilot Dannielle Khan also triumphed, retaining their women’s B 1km time trial title.

Finlay Graham made it three medals in as many days as he clinched silver in the men’s C3 elimination race.

There was also silver for Kadeena Cox in the women’s C4 Sprint Race.

Those successes took GB’s tally to seven golds, five silver and five bronze medals overall.

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.

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.

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

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.

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There hasn’t been much of a reason for investors to be excited about Target (TGT 0.80%) stock this year. The company’s financials have been underwhelming, and with the business heavily dependent on discretionary spending for its growth, there hasn’t been much hope that things will get better anytime soon, given the state of the economy.

This year, the stock is down more than 30% as it has continued to hit new lows on the way down. But it offers a high-yielding dividend of 5.2% and with an incredibly low valuation, it could make for an intriguing contrarian play. With earnings coming up on Nov. 19, should you consider taking a chance on the retail stock before it posts its latest numbers? 

Image source: Getty Images.

Will the upcoming quarter be more of the same for Target?

To say things haven’t been going well for Target in recent years is an understatement. Sales have been sluggish and the company has been struggling to generate any kind of growth whatsoever. Consumers have been tightening up their budgets and spending less on discretionary purchases as concerns about tariffs and the economy as a whole have been affecting many retailers.

TGT Revenue (Quarterly YoY Growth) data by YCharts

In the company’s most recent quarter, which ended on Aug. 2, its net sales were down by a little less than 1%, totaling $25.2 billion. And what was even more problematic is that with expenses rising, Target’s net earnings fell by a whopping 22%, to $935 million.

The worry is that retailers haven’t felt the full impact of tariffs just yet, which could mean more bad news for Target’s business in the future. But in a way, that bearish outlook could work to the stock’s advantage.

Expectations appear low for Target

Target’s stock has been in a prolonged tailspin this year. And if the company doesn’t give investors much reason for optimism in its upcoming earnings report, it could be on track for an even worse year than in 2022, when the stock market crashed and its shares plummeted by 36%.

The retail stock trades at a lowly 10 times its trailing earnings, and even when factoring in analyst expectations, its forward price-to-earnings multiple is not much higher at 11. There’s plenty of bearishness priced into the stock, which could make it easier for Target not to disappoint investors; any bit of positive news could give this beaten-down stock some much-needed life.

The bar is definitely low given the discount Target trades at, and it hasn’t been this cheap in years.

I wouldn’t buy Target’s stock just yet

Target is a good long-term buy and I believe it can recover. But it’s also undergoing a change in CEO, macroeconomic conditions are far from ideal for its business, and there’s been a flurry of negativity around the stock this year. Given all those factors, I don’t see a reprieve coming just yet, as the economy is still on shaky ground and there’s little reason to expect a turnaround at this stage.

If you’re a long-term investor, you may want to consider taking a position in the stock, but only if you’re prepared for a turbulent ride and are willing to wait for at least a couple of years for economic conditions to improve.

The safer option is to wait and see what the company’s strategy looks like under its new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, who takes over in February and to reevaluate the stock at that point. With so much uncertainty around the business, there simply isn’t an overwhelming reason to buy shares of Target today. It could be a while before the business can turn things around, and in the meantime, there are better growth stocks to invest in.

A look at the top performers from high school football across the Southland during Week 7.

RUSHING

Garfield running back Ceasar Reyes is lifted up by Angel Jimenez. He rushed for school-record 420 yards in win over South Gate.

(Nick Koza)

• Ceasar Reyes, Garfield: Rushed for a school-record 420 yards in 42 carries and scored four touchdowns in win over South Gate.

• Lenny Ibarra, Los Alamitos: Rushed for 216 yards and two touchdowns in win over Edison.

• Jerod Terry, Sierra Canyon: Rushed for 241 yards and two touchdowns in win over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

• Brian Bonner, Valencia: Rushed for 150 yards in win over Golden Valley.

• Ethan Mundt, Troy: Rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns in win over Anaheim Canyon.

• Domenico Doran, Bishop Amat: The quarterback rushed for 122 yards and one touchdown and passed for 141 yards and two touchdowns in win over Loyola.

• Ronnell Hewitt, Chaminade: Rushed for 101 yards and three touchdowns in win over Gardena Serra.

PASSING

• Jaden Jefferson, Cathedral: Completed 14 of 18 passes for 378 yards and four touchdowns in win over Paraclete.

• Khalil Abdul-Aziz, Orange Vista: Passed for 402 yards and three touchdowns in win over Vista del Lago.

• Koa Malau’ulu, St. John Bosco: Passed for 283 yards and four touchdowns in win over Santa Margarita.

• Dane Weber, Chaparral: Passed for 291 yards, rushed for 110 yards and accounted for six touchdowns in win over Norco.

• Luke Fahey, Mission Viejo: Passed for 292 yards and one touchdown in win over San Clemente.

• Caden Jones, Crean Lutheran: Completed 19 of 23 passes for 314 yards and five touchdowns in win over La Habra.

• Michael Wynn Jr., St. Genevieve: Passed for 303 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another, in win over Oakmont.

• Jacob Paisano, Hart: Passed for 164 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns in win over Canyon.

• Ford Green, Westlake: The freshman passed for 287 yards and three touchdowns in double overtime win over Newbury Park

• Thaddeus Breaux, Hamilton: Passed for 284 yards and three touchdowns in loss to Westchester.

RECEIVING

• Zayshawn Washington, Orange Vista: Caught seven passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns vs. Vista del Lago.

• Madden Williams, St. john Bosco: Caught six passes for 113 yards and one touchdown vs. Santa Margarita.

• Jack Junker, Mission Viejo: Caught seven passes for 100 yards vs. San Clemente.

• Ty Johnson, Crean Lutheran: Caught five passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns and returned interception for touchdown vs. La Habra.

DEFENSE

• Dutch Horisk, St. John Bosco: Recorded two sacks vs. Santa Margarita.

• Jaden Walk-Green, Corona Centennial: Had a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown and 95-yard kickoff return in win over Murrieta Valley.

• Somto Nwute, Crespi: Recorded three sacks in win over Salesian.

• PeeWee Wilson, Oxnard Pacifica: Had six solo tackles and 10 overall in win over Camarillo.

• Jordan Hicks, Mission Viejo: Had two interceptions vs. San Clemente.

• Nicholas Stratman, Venice: Had 11 tackles, three for losses, in win over Fairfax.

• Armani Walker, St. Bonaventure: Returned interception for touchdown in shutout win over Oaks Christian.

• Sam Crawford, Bishop Diego: Had two interceptions in win over Simi Valley.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• CJ Wallace, St. John Bosco: Had five booming kickoffs into the end zone vs. Santa Margarita.

• Blue McFarland, Crespi: Contributed a 44-yard run on a fake punt vs. Salesian.

• Caleb Sylvia, Mission Viejo: Kicked field goals from 47 and 25 yards in win over San Clemente.

• Jake Vega, Lakewood: Made a 34-yard field goal for the game’s only points in a win over Long Beach Millikan.

• Oscar Orozco, St. Bonaventure: Made field goals from 45 and 25 yards vs. Oaks Christian.

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.