The public release of a Young Republican group chat that included racist language, jokes about rape and flippant commentary on gas chambers prompted bipartisan calls for those involved to be removed from or resign their positions.

The Young Republican National Federation, the GOP’s political organization for Republicans between 18 and 40, called for those involved to step down from the organization. The group described the exchanges, first reported by Politico, as “unbecoming of any Republican.”

Republican Vice President JD Vance, however, has weighed in several times to speak out against what he characterized as “pearl clutching” over the leaked messages.

Politico obtained months of exchanges from a Telegram conversation between leaders and members of the Young Republican National Federation and some of its affiliates in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont.

Here’s a rundown of reaction to the inflammatory group chat, in which the operatives and officials involved openly worried that their comments might be leaked, even as they continued their conversation:

Vance

After Politico’s initial report Tuesday, Vance posted on X a screen grab from 2022 text messages in which Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate in Virginia’s attorney general race, suggested that a prominent Republican get “two bullets to the head.”

“This is far worse than anything said in a college group chat, and the guy who said it could become the AG of Virginia,” Vance wrote Tuesday. “I refuse to join the pearl clutching when powerful people call for political violence.”

Jones has taken “full responsibility” for his comments and offered a public apology to Todd Gilbert, who then was speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates.

Vance reiterated his initial sentiment Wednesday on “ The Charlie Kirk Show ” podcast, saying when asked about the reporting that a “person seriously wishing for political violence and political assassination is 1,000 times worse than what a bunch of young people, a bunch of kids say in a group chat, however offensive it might be.”

Vance, 41, said he grew up in a different era where “most of what I, the stupid things that I did as a teenager and as a young adult, they’re not on the internet.”

The father of three said he would caution his own children, “especially my boys, don’t put things on the internet, like, be careful with what you post. If you put something in a group chat, assume that some scumbag is going to leak it in an effort to try to cause you harm or cause your family harm.”

“I really don’t want to us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke, telling a very offensive, stupid joke is cause to ruin their lives,” Vance said.

Republicans

Other Republicans demanded more immediate intervention. Republican legislative leaders in Vermont, along with Gov. Phil Scott — also a Republican — called for the resignation of state Sen. Sam Douglass, revealed to be a participant in the chat. A joint statement from the GOP lawmakers termed the comments “unacceptable and deeply disturbing.”

Saying she was “absolutely appalled to learn about the alleged comments made by leaders of the New York State Young Republicans,” Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York called for those involved to step down from their positions. Danedri Herbert, chair of the Kansas GOP, said the remarks “do not reflect the beliefs of Republicans and certainly not of Kansas Republicans at large.”

In a statement posted to X on Tuesday, the Young Republican National Federation said it was “appalled” by the reported messages and calling for those involved to resign from their positions within the organization. Young Republican leaders said the behavior was “disgraceful, unbecoming of any Republican, and stands in direct opposition to the values our movement represents.”

Democrats

Democrats have been more uniform in their condemnation. On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer asking for an investigation into the “vile and offensive text messages,” which he called “the definition of conduct that can create a hostile and discriminatory environment that violates civil rights laws.”

Speaking on the Senate floor, Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer of New York on Tuesday described the chat as “revolting,” calling for Republicans including President Trump and Vance to “condemn these comments swiftly and unequivocally.”

Asked about the reporting, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the exchanges “vile” and called for consequences for those involved.

“Kick them out of the party. Take away their official roles. Stop using them as campaign advisers,” Hochul said. “There needs to be consequences. This bulls—- has to stop.”

Kinnard writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

At 5:37 p.m. Wednesday, Michael Buble’s “Feeling Good” blared from the Dodger Stadium speakers.

Shohei Ohtani came strolling to the plate with a bat in his hands.

There was no one in the stands, of course. Nor an opposing pitcher on the mound. The Dodgers, on this workout day after returning from Milwaukee, were still some 22 hours away from resuming their National League Championship Series against the Brewers. For any other player, it would have been a routine affair.

Ohtani, however, is not just any player.

And among the many things that make him unique, his habit of almost never taking batting practice on the field is one of the small but notable ones.

Which made his decision to do so Wednesday a telling development.

Over the last two weeks, Ohtani has been in a slump. Since the start of the NL Division Series, he is just two-for-25 with a whopping 12 strikeouts. He has been smothered by left-handed pitching. He has made poor swing decisions and failed to slug the ball.

Last week, manager Dave Roberts went so far as to say the Dodgers were “not gonna win the World Series with that sort of performance” from their $700-million slugger.

Thus, out Ohtani came for batting practice on Wednesday in the most visible sign yet of his urgency for a turnaround.

“The other way to say it is that, if I hit, we will win,” Ohtani said in Japanese when asked about Roberts’ World Series quote earlier Wednesday afternoon. “I think he thinks that if I hit, we will win. I’d like to do my best to do that.”

In Roberts’ view, Ohtani has already started improving from his woeful NLDS, when he struck out nine times in 18 trips to the plate against a left-handed-heavy Philadelphia Phillies staff that, as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman emphatically put it, had “the most impressive execution against a hitter I’ve ever seen.”

In Game 1 of the NLCS against the Brewers, Ohtani was 0-for-two but walked three times; twice intentionally but another on a more disciplined five-pitch at-bat to lead off the game against left-handed opener Aaron Ashby.

The following night, he went only one-for-five with three more strikeouts, giving him 15 this postseason, second-most in the playoffs. But he did have an RBI single, marking his first run driven in since Game 2 of the NLDS. He followed that with a steal, swiping his first bag of the playoffs. And earlier in the game, he scorched a lineout to right at 115.2 mph, the hardest he’d hit a ball since taking Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene deep in the team’s postseason opener.

“The first two games in Milwaukee, his at-bats have been fantastic,” Roberts said Wednesday, before heading out to the field and watching Ohtani’s impromptu BP session.

“That’s what I’ve been looking for. That’s what I’m counting on,” he added, while noting the careful approach the Brewers have also taken with the soon-to-be four-time MVP. “You can only take what they give you. So for me, I think he’s in a good spot right now.”

Shohei Ohtani puts the ball in play in the third inning during Game 4 of the NLDS.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Ohtani’s overall numbers, of course, continue to suggest otherwise. His .147 postseason batting average is second-worst on the team, ahead of only Andy Pages. His seven-game drought without an extra-base hit is longer than any he endured in the regular season.

“The first thing I have to do is increase the level of my at-bats,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “Swing at strikes and not swing at balls.”

On Wednesday, Ohtani’s slump also led to questions about his role as a two-way player, and whether his return to pitching this season (and, this October, doing it for the first time in the playoffs) has contributed to his sudden struggles at the plate.

After all, on days Ohtani pitched this season, he hit .222 with four home runs but 21 strikeouts. On the days immediately following an outing, he batted .147 with two home runs and 10 strikeouts.

His current slump began with a hitless, four-strikeout dud in Game 1 of the NLDS, when he also made a six-inning, three-run start on the mound.

And in days since, Roberts has acknowledged some likely correlation between Ohtani’s two roles.

“[His offense] hasn’t been good when he’s pitched,” Roberts said following the NLDS. “We’ve got to think through this and come up with a better game plan.”

Ohtani, on the other hand, pushed back somewhat on that narrative during Wednesday’s workout, in which he also threw a bullpen session in preparation for his next start in Game 4 of the NLCS on Friday.

While it is “more physically strenuous” to handle both roles, he conceded, he countered that “I don’t know if there’s a direct correlation.”

“Physically,” he added, “I don’t feel like there’s a connection.”

Instead, Ohtani on Wednesday went about fixing his swing the way any other normal hitter would. He went out on the field for his rare session of batting practice. Of his 32 swings, he sent 14 over the fence, including one that clanked off the roof of the right-field pavilion.

“Certainly, there’s frustration,” Roberts said of how he’s seen Ohtani handle his uncharacteristic lack of performance.

But, he added, “that’s expected. I don’t mind it. I like the edge.”

“He’s obviously a very, very talented player, and we’re counting on him,” Roberts continued. “He’s just a great competitor. He’s very prepared. And there’s still a lot of baseball left.”

Oct. 15 (UPI) — The CIA is authorized to conduct operations in Venezuela and likely has been for at least a couple of months, President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday.

Trump commented on a possible CIA deployment in Venezuela when a reporter asked why he authorized the CIA to work in the South American nation during a Wednesday news conference.

The president said he has two reasons for authorizing the CIA to be involved in Venezuela.

“They have emptied their prisons into the United States,” Trump said. “They came in through the border because we had an open-border policy.”

“They’ve allowed thousands and thousands of prisoners, people from mental institutions and insane asylums emptied out into the United States,” Trump said. “We’re bringing them back.”

The president said Venezuela is not the only country to do so, “but they’re the worst abuser” and called the South American nation’s leaders “down and dirty.”

He said Venezuela also is sending a lot of drugs into the United States.

“A lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea, so you see it,” the president explained. “We’re going to stop them by land, also.”

Trump declined to answer a follow-up question regarding whether or not the CIA is authorized to “take out” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The president called the question a fair one but said it would be “ridiculous” for him to answer it.

The president’s answer regarding CIA deployment in Venezuela comes after he earlier said the U.S. military obtains intelligence on likely drug smuggling operations in Venezuela.

Such intelligence enabled the military to strike a vessel carrying six passengers off the coast of Venezuela on Tuesday.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narco-terrorist networks and was transiting along a known [designated terrorist organization] route,” Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the military strike.

All six crew members were killed in the lethal kinetic airstrike on the vessel, and no U.S. forces were harmed.

Trump told media that Venezuela and a lot of other countries are “feeling heat” and he “won’t let our country be ruined” by them, ABC News reported.

The president in September notified several Congressional committees that the nation is in “active conflict” with transnational gangs and drug cartels, many of which he has designated as terrorist organizations.

Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua is among those so designated, and the United States has a $50 million bounty on Maduro, whom Trump says profits from the drug trade.

During Trump’s first term in office, the CIA similarly worked against drug cartels in Mexico and elsewhere in Central and South America.

The Biden administration continued those efforts, including flying drones over suspected cartel sites in Mexico to identify possible fentanyl labs.

Health officials in Gaza say many of the 90 returned bodies bore marks of violence and possible executions.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health says it has received the remains of 45 Palestinians who were held in Israeli custody via the International Committee of the Red Cross, bringing the total number of bodies returned to 90 as part of a United States-brokered ceasefire deal.

Medical teams are continuing to examine, document and prepare the bodies for delivery to families “in line with approved medical procedures and protocols”, the Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Under a ceasefire deal backed by US President Donald Trump and aimed at ending the two-year Gaza war, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned. The remains of 45 people were returned on Monday.

Palestinians awaited information about the bodies that arrived at Nasser Hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday. The forensics team described disturbing conditions, bearing signs of physical abuse.

Some of the Palestinian bodies were blindfolded and handcuffed, indicating “field executions” may have taken place, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

Israel is expected to hand over more bodies, though officials have not said how many are in its custody or how many will be returned. It remains unclear whether the bodies were dug up from cemeteries by the Israeli army during its ground offensive or if they belong to detainees who were killed during the Israeli assault. Throughout the war, Israel’s military has exhumed bodies as part of its search for the remains of captives.

As forensic teams examined the first remains returned, the Health Ministry on Wednesday released images of 32 unidentified bodies to help families recognise missing relatives.

Many appeared decomposed or burned. Some were missing limbs or teeth, while others were coated in sand and dust. Health officials have said Israeli restrictions on allowing DNA testing equipment into Gaza have often forced morgues to rely on physical features and clothing for identification.

The forensics team that received the bodies said some arrived still shackled or bearing signs of physical abuse.

“There are signs of torture and executions,” Sameh Hamad, a member of a commission tasked with receiving the bodies at Nasser Hospital, said.

The bodies belonged to men aged 25 to 70. Most had bands on their necks, including one who had a rope around his neck. Most of the bodies wore civilian clothing, but some were in uniforms, suggesting they were Palestinian fighters.

Hamad said the Red Cross provided names for only three of the dead, leaving many families uncertain of their relatives’ fate.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians since October 2023, according to the Health Ministry. Palestinian officials say the true toll could be far higher, with tens of thousands of bodies believed to be under the rubble.

Thousands more people are missing, according to the Red Cross and Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

Rasmiya Qudeih, 52, waited outside Nasser Hospital, hoping her son would be among the 45 bodies transferred from Israel on Wednesday.

He vanished on October 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas-led attack. She was told he was killed by an Israeli strike.

“God willing, he will be with the bodies,” she said.

The Health Ministry released a video showing medical workers examining the bodies, saying the remains would be returned to families or buried if left unidentified.

Rights groups and a United Nations Commission of Inquiry have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, and South Africa has filed a case alleging Israel committed genocide at the International Court of Justice. Israel denies the accusations.

MANY A-list models stunned while strutting down the runway donning lingerie at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

The night was filled with beauty and sexy outfits for the brand’s annual runway show on Wednesday night in New York City.

It began with jaw-dropping looks from models wearing an array of sultry lingerie, including pregnant Jasmine Tookes, who stepped out first in a barely-there gold beaded number.

She paused at the end of the runway as she cradled her baby bump and was met with cheers from the crowd.

Others like Behati Prinsloo and Alessandra Ambrosio matched her all-gold look in string two-piece ensembles, the former with a massive train, while Alessandra rocked giant wings.

Soon after, several musical acts took the stage.

Madison Beer started the lineup, performing her hit track Bittersweet while wearing nothing but a white angel corset.

She blended in perfectly with the ladies, as most wore variations of white and pink outfits.

Gigi Hadid turned heads in a skimpy pink lingerie set with an enormous pink, feathery coat draped over her arms.

Shortly after, the stage transformed into the brand’s signature pink-and-white polka-dot colors for its PINK loungewear collection.

The singing group TWICE then entered the runway, making history as the first K-pop girl group to perform at the exclusive event.

The foursome sported varying form-fitting ensembles, with knee-high furry boots.

They sang their songs, This Is For and Strategy while the models walked past them in more comfortable attire.

This included newcomers Lila Moss and Barbie Ferreira, who stunned in a gray lounge set and a jean jacket, respectively.

At the end of the PINK showcase, the ladies posed for a group shot in the middle of the stage with TWICE, which was shown on a giant screen.

The evening continued with more seductive attire, as Colombian singer Karol G performed in a body-hugging, see-through white number.

The models kept the red theme going, with Bella Hadid flaunting her incredible figure in a jaw-dropping lingerie set.

Others wore various red lingerie, some paired with props such as capes, wings, and devil horns.

Karol G also got in on the fun, catwalking across the stage to show off her skintight bodysuit with matching wings.

The mood then brightened with more pastel-colored pieces, including a breathtaking vision of Emily Ratajkowski.

The supermodel wore a pink bra and underwear set, strapped heels wrapped up to her knees, and a huge, sparkly pink prop on her back.

The lights dimmed again to display the all-black lingerie pieces, including plus-size model Ashley Graham flaunting her curves in a glittery two-piece.

She paired the look with massive black angel wings and strappy heels.

Gigi later reappeared, wearing a form-fitting white corset and matching skirt, while holding large white angel wings.

Her sister, Bella, also reemerged donning a sexy tasseled white lingerie set with fluffy white wings strapped to her back.

The show ended with a medley performance by Missy Elliott, which included her popular tracks Get Ur Freak On, Work It, and Lose Control.

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Missy made a grand entrance on a platform that came down from the ceiling before she appeared in an all-black sparkly outfit.

The models returned to the stage altogether when Missy’s performance concluded for an encore, as pink confetti covered the room.

This seaside town has a reputation for being one of the country’s most expensive but I was forced to second-guess my assumptions

When I arrived at this seaside town, I expected the usual trappings of a millionaire’s coastal enclave: quiet streets, immaculate homes and the faint sense that everything is just a little too polished. After all, this New Forest harbour town is one of the most expensive coastal spots in Britain, with average house prices more than double the national average at £600,000, Express reports.

I was expecting it to be the kind of place where second homes outnumber locals, where the shops sell handmade dog treats, and where residents drive the kind of cars that never seem to gather dust. But as I wandered its cobbled streets and Georgian lanes, it became clear that Lymington in Hampshire doesn’t fit that stereotype.

For all its quiet wealth and picture-perfect charm, the town felt unexpectedly alive. What surprised me most wasn’t the grandeur of the homes or the sparkle of the Solent. It was the sense of community that seemed to ripple through everything. Even in a place where many doors stay closed for much of the year, there’s warmth and connection that you can feel as soon as you arrive.

Taking a stroll down the High Street on market day, the stretch of road transforms into a bustling corridor of colour and conversation. Locals chat across stalls piled high with artisan bread, handmade soaps and the day’s catch from the nearby quay. There’s the smell of roasted coffee from one of the independent cafes and the sound of a busker’s guitar drifting between the Georgian facades.

Down by the quay, children crouch on the old stone walls, dangling lines and bacon rinds into the water in hopes of catching crabs. The chatter of families mixes with the clang of yacht masts in the marina. Behind them, pubs like The Ship Inn and The Mayflower are full with people swapping stories over pints, as they’ve done for generations.

A few streets away, tucked behind the main road, small galleries and bookshops hum with quiet trade. And that’s the contradiction that makes Lymington fascinating. There’s no denying that many homes sit empty for large parts of the year. Walk along Captain’s Row or past the elegant townhouses near Bath Road, and you’ll spot drawn curtains and pristine gardens with not a footprint in sight. Yet somehow, the town refuses to feel hollow. Residents talk about the issue openly.

“It’s frustrating,” admits Adam Stote, 55, who recently downsized to a smaller property near the river. “We all wish more homes were lived in full-time. But the people who are here, we make up for it. There’s a real community and everyone looks out for each other.”

Part of that may come from the setting itself. The Solent glitters on one side, the New Forest rolls in from the other, and in between, Lymington feels cocooned, almost self-contained. It’s a place where the pace slows, where people stop to talk, and where heritage feels more like a habit than a history lesson.

Unlike other luxury coastal enclaves, the flash of Sandbanks, the celebrity polish of Salcombe, Lymington’s wealth whispers rather than shouts. Residents here seem to gladly trade glistening supercars and infinity pools for sea salt-dusted climbing ivy on weathered bricks. This difference adds to the town’s traditional character, from the quirky antique shops to the long-running St Barbe Museum and community theatre. Even the famous seawater baths, dating back to the 19th century, are run by locals who fought to keep them open.

Of course, Lymington isn’t perfect. The housing market prices out young families and parking is an eternal headache. As I walked back toward the train station, the tide was slipping out of the harbour and the sky had turned gold over the masts. It may be one of the most expensive seaside towns in Britain, but it’s also one of the few that still feels like a community first, and a postcard second.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s new public schools superintendent announced Wednesday he is rescinding a mandate from his predecessor that forced schools to incorporate the Bible into lesson plans for students.

Superintendent Lindel Fields said in a statement he has “no plans to distribute Bibles or a Biblical character education curriculum in classrooms.” The directive last year from former Superintendent Ryan Walters drew immediate condemnation from civil rights groups and prompted a lawsuit from a group of parents, teachers and religious leaders that is pending before the Oklahoma Supreme Court. It was to have applied to students in grades 5 through 12.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Fields to the superintendent’s post after Walters resigned last month to take a job in the private sector.

Jacki Phelps, an attorney for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, said she intends to notify the court of the agency’s plan to rescind the mandate and seek a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

Many schools districts across the state had decided not to comply with the Bible mandate.

A spokeswoman for the state education department, Tara Thompson, said Fields believes the decision on whether the Bible should be incorporated into classroom instruction is one best left up to individual districts and that spending money on Bibles is not the best use of taxpayer resources.

Walters in March had announced plans to team up with country music singer Lee Greenwood seeking donations to get Bibles into classrooms after a legislative panel rejected his $3 million request to fund the effort. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging the Bible mandate did not immediately comment.

Walters, a far-right Republican, made fighting “woke ideology”, banning certain books from school libraries and getting rid of “radical leftists” who he claims were indoctrinating children in classrooms a focal point of his administration. Since his election in 2020, he imposed a number of mandates on public schools and worked to develop new social studies standards for K-12 public school students that included teaching about conspiracy theories related to the 2020 presidential election. Those standards have been put on hold while a lawsuit challenging them moves forward.

Thompson said the agency plans to review all of Walters’ mandates, including a requirement that applicants from teacher jobs coming from California and New York take an ideology exam, to determine if those may also be rescinded.

“We need to review all of those mandates and provide clarity to schools moving forward,” she said.

Murphy writes for the Associated Press.

Thousands of Palestinian prisoners – most of them detained without charge – have been released from Israeli jails as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

Reunions saw a mix of joy and sadness after people heard about the conditions and mistreatment their loved ones endured.

Hundreds more were forced into exile by Israel.

And the majority return to rubble in Gaza, and others risk being arrested again in the occupied West Bank.

So, is it possible for former Palestinian prisoners to embrace freedom with life under occupation and the scars of Israeli detention?

Presenter: Sami Zeidan

Guests:

Milena Ansari – Israel and Palestine Researcher at Human Rights Watch

Basil Farraj – Assistant Professor at Birzeit University, specialising in political prisoners and carceral violence

Fadia Barghouti – English Supervisor at the Palestinian Ministry of Education

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed that he has authorised the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.

He added that his administration was also mulling land-based military operations inside Venezuela, as tensions between Washington and Caracas soar over multiple deadly US strikes on Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean Sea in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, Trump held a news conference with some of his top law enforcement officials, where he faced questions about an earlier news report in The New York Times about the CIA authorisation. One reporter asked directly, “Why did you authorise the CIA to go into Venezuela?”

“I authorised for two reasons, really,” Trump replied. “Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America.”

“The other thing,” he continued, was Venezuela’s role in drug-trafficking. He then appeared to imply that the US would take actions on foreign soil to prevent the flow of narcotics and other drugs.

“We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela,” Trump said. “A lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea.  So you get to see that. But we’re going to stop them by land also.”

Trump’s remarks mark the latest escalation in his campaign against Venezuela, whose leader, Nicolas Maduro, has long been a target for the US president, stretching back to Trump’s first term in office.

Already, both leaders have bolstered their military forces along the Caribbean Sea in a show of potential force.

The Venezuelan government hit back at Trump’s latest comments and the authorised CIA operations, accusing the US of violating international law and the UN Charter.

“The purpose of US actions is to create legitimacy for an operation to change the regime in Venezuela, with the ultimate goal of taking control of all the country’s resources,” the Maduro government said in a statement.

Earlier, at the news conference, reporters sought to confront Trump over whether he was trying to enforce regime change in Caracas.

“Does the CIA have authority to take out Maduro?” one journalist asked at the White House on Wednesday.

“Oh, I don’t want to answer a question like that. That’s a ridiculous question for me to be given,” Trump said, demurring. “Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn’t it be a ridiculous question for me to answer?”

He then offered an addendum: “But I think Venezuela’s feeling heat.”

Claiming wartime powers

Trump’s responses, at times meandering, touched on his oft-repeated claims about Venezuela.

Since taking office for a second term, Trump has sought to assume wartime powers – using laws like the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 – by alleging that Venezuela had masterminded an “invasion” of migrants and criminal groups onto US soil.

He has offered little proof for his assertions, though, and his statements have been undercut by the assessments of his own intelligence community.

In May, for example, a declassified US report revealed that intelligence officials had found no evidence directly linking Maduro to criminal groups like Tren de Aragua, as Trump has alleged.

Still, on Wednesday, Trump revisited the baseless claim that Venezuela under Maduro had sent prisoners and people with mental health conditions to destabilise the US.

“Many countries have done it, but not like Venezuela.  They were down and dirty,” Trump said.

The authorisation of CIA operations inside Venezuela is the latest indication that Trump has been signing secret proclamations to lay the groundwork for lethal action overseas, despite insisting in public that he seeks peace globally.

In August, for instance, anonymous sources told the US media that Trump had also signed an order allowing the US military to take action against drug-trafficking cartels and other Latin American criminal networks.

And in October, it emerged that Trump had sent a memo to the US Congress asserting that the country was in a “non-international armed conflict” with the cartels, whom he termed “unlawful combatants”.

Many such groups, including Tren de Aragua, have also been added to the US’s list of “foreign terrorist organisations”, though experts point out that the label alone does not provide a legal basis for military action.

Strikes in the Caribbean Sea

Nevertheless, the US under Trump has taken a series of escalatory military actions, including by conducting multiple missile strikes on small vessels off the Venezuelan coast.

At least five known air strikes have been conducted on boats since September 2, killing 27 people.

The most recent attack was announced on Tuesday in a social media post: A video Trump shared showed a boat floating in the water, before a missile set it alight. Six people were reportedly killed in that bombing.

Many legal experts and former military officials have said that the strikes appear to be a clear violation of international law. Drug traffickers have not traditionally met the definition of armed combatants in a war. And the US government has so far not presented any public evidence to back its claims that the boats were indeed carrying narcotics headed for America.

But Trump has justified the strikes by saying they will save American lives lost to drug addiction.

He has maintained the people on board the targeted boats were “narco-terrorists” headed to the US.

On Wednesday, he again brushed aside a question about the lack of evidence. He also defended himself against concerns that the bombings amount to extrajudicial killings.

“When they’re loaded up with drugs, they’re fair game,” Trump told reporters, adding there was “fentanyl dust all over the boat after those bombs go off”.

He added, “We know we have much information about each boat that goes. Deep, strong information.”

Framing the bombing campaign in the Caribbean as a success, Trump then explained his administration might start to pivot its strategy.

“ We’ve almost totally stopped it by sea. Now, we’ll stop it by land,” he said of the alleged drug trafficking. He joked that even fishermen had decided to stay off the waters.

“ We are certainly looking at land now because we’ve got the sea very well under control.”

Diane Keaton died in Los Angeles on Saturday at age 79, and her family says the cause was pneumonia.

Family members of the Oscar-winning actress shared a statement with People confirming Keaton’s cause of death and saying they were “very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support” they had received in recent days.

The outlet first reported the news of the screen icon’s death Saturday, saying the Los Angeles Fire Department had responded to her home that morning and transported a 79-year-old woman to an area hospital. Initially, the family did not disclose the cause of death and asked for privacy as they processed their grief.

In Wednesday’s statement, Keaton’s family members said the star had a deep love for animals and was passionate about supporting the unhoused community. They encouraged people to honor her memory by donating to a food bank or animal shelter.

Keaton was known for her powerful performances in iconic pictures such as Francis Ford Coppola’s “Godfather” movies and Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall,” which earned her the 1978 Academy Award for lead actress. She was also nominated for lead actress for her roles in “Reds” (1981), “Marvin’s Room” (1996) and “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003).

Born in Los Angeles in 1946, Keaton rose to fame through her late 1960s New York stage career, earning a Tony nomination at age 25 for her role in Allen’s 1969 theatrical production of “Play It Again, Sam.”

Later in her career, she became a muse for writer-director-producer Nancy Meyers and starred in four of her movies. She was a noted trendsetter known for her fabulous on-screen outfits and, more recently, for sharing her style on Instagram, where she amassed 2.6 million followers.

Keaton’s death was widely mourned by theater, movie and fashion lovers alike.

“She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star,” wrote actor Bette Midler on Instagram. “What you saw was who she was.”

“Diane Keaton wasn’t just an actress: she was a force,” wrote actor Octavia Spencer on Instagram, “a woman who showed us that being yourself is the most powerful thing you can be. From Annie Hall to Something’s Gotta Give, she made every role unforgettable.”

Times film editor Joshua Rothkopf contributed to this report.

SACRAMENTO  — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office is weighing whether to close parts of Interstate 5 beginning Friday amid concerns over what it says is a White House-directed plan to use live ordnance during a military anniversary celebration off Camp Pendleton’s coast in San Diego County — where Navy ships are expected to fire over the freeway onto the base.

Newsom’s office has received, but not confirmed, reports that live ordnance will be fired from offshore vessels during the event commemorating the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary. The event is titled “Sea to Shore — A Review of Amphibious Strength” and will feature Vice President JD Vance.

Newsom’s office said it has received little information about the event or safety plans. The military show of force coincides with No Kings rallies and marches across the state on Saturday that are expected to draw large crowds, demonstrations challenging Trump and what critics say is government overreach.

“Donald Trump and JD Vance think that shutting down the I-5 to shoot out missiles from ships is how you respect the military,” Newsom posted on the social media site X Wednesday.

A military media advisory said the celebration will include a live amphibious assault demonstration. The Times could not confirm whether live ordnance will be fired over the freeway. The White House and Marine Corps did not respond to questions from The Times.

“California always honors our Marines — but this isn’t the right way to go about it,” said a Newsom spokesperson. “The White House should focus on paying their military, lowering grocery prices and honoring these soldiers for their service instead of pompous displays of power. The lack of coordination and communication from the federal government on this event — and the overall impact to our society and economy — is evident of the larger disarray that is the Trump Administration.”

Freeway closures are being considered for a section of I-5 between Orange County to San Diego County from Friday to Saturday, which would cut off a major traffic artery that moves upward of 80,000 travelers a day. A closure with little notice would likely result in massive gridlock from Dana Point in the north to well past Del Mar in the south.

Vance, the first Marine veteran to serve as vice president, is expected to attend the event Saturday along with 15,000 Marines, Sailors, veterans and their families, according to event’s media release. Along with Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to deliver remarks.

Camp Pendleton advised nearby residents that there will be live-fire training with high explosive munitions through Sunday, which will result in some roads on base being closed.

The Trump administration previously had plans for a major celebration next month for the 250th anniversary of the Navy and Marines, which would have included an air and sea show — with the Blue Angels and parading warships — attended by President Trump, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Plans to host that show in San Diego have been called off, the paper reported.

Camp Pendleton is a 125,000-acre base in northwestern San Diego County that has been critical in preparing soldiers for amphibious missions since World War II thanks to its miles of beach and coastal hills. The U.S. Department of Defense is considering making a portion of the base available for development or lease.

The Kings have reacquired veteran goalie Pheonix Copley to provide depth while Darcy Kuemper is slowed by a lower-body injury.

The Kings acquired the 33-year-old Copley from Tampa Bay in a trade Wednesday for future considerations.

Copley spent the previous three years in the Kings’ organization, including 42 games last season for the AHL’s Ontario Reign. The former Washington netminder started 35 games for the Kings during the 2022-23 season before missing most of the 2023-24 season because of a knee surgery.

The Lightning claimed Copley off waivers earlier this month while they were worried about the status of starter Andrei Vasilevskiy, who struggled with an injury in training camp. Vasilevskiy ultimately was healthy enough to play in Tampa Bay’s season opener.

Anton Forsberg is the primary backup to Kuemper, who was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season along with Vasilevskiy.

Forsberg started the only victory in four games this season for the Kings (1-2-1).

Kuemper missed practice Wednesday along with captain Anze Kopitar due to lower-body injuries. Forsberg seems likely to start when the Kings host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

Oct. 15 (UPI) — Half of adults in the United States are more concerned than excited about the rise of artificial intelligence, at the top of the worries list of those surveyed in 25 countries by Pew Research.

The study, which was released Wednesday, didn’t include respondents from the following nations with populations of at least 100 million: China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Philippines, Congo and Vietnam.

Globally, 34% expressed concern about AI with 42% equally in both extremes and 16% more excited.

Joining the United States at 50% are those in Italy, followed by Australia at 49%, Brazil at 48%, Greece at 47%, and Canada at 45%.

At the other end, South Korea is the least concerned at 16%, followed by India at 19%, Israel at 21%, Nigeria at 24%, Turkey at 26%, Japan at 28% and Germany at 29%.

The other nations ranged in the 30s, including Britain, Argentina and Spain at 39% and France at 35%.

In none of the countries, no more than 3-in-10 adults say they are mainly excited.

In the United States, the survey was conducted among 3,605 adults from March 24 to 30 and 5,023 adults from June 9 to 15 online or by phone with a live interviewer. They are all members of the Center’s American Trends Panel.

For non-U.S. adults, surveys were done over the phone, face-to-face or online, depending on the country, among 28,333 from Jan. 8 to April 26.

A median of 34% of adults worldwide have heard or read a lot about AI, while 47% have heard a little and 14% say they’ve heard nothing at all.

There was a correlation between the country’s domestic product per capita and AI awareness.

In the comparatively wealthy countries of Japan, Germany, France and the United States, around half have heard a lot about AI, but only 14% in India and 12% in Kenya.

Younger adults are more aware and excited about AI than the older respondents.

For example, 46% of Israeli adults under 35 are more excited than concerned about its increased use in daily life, compared with 15% of those ages 50 and older.

In more than half of the countries surveyed, men are more likely than women to have heard a lot about AI.

People who frequently use the Internet are more likely than others to be mainly excited about the growing use of AI .

Geographically, 53% of adults trust the European Union to regulate AI, while 37% trust the U.S. and 27% trust China. In the EU, the survey found those in France, Greece, Italy and Poland the least trusting.

AFP/Getty Images

New details of alleged spying

House of Commons

Turkey’s conservative government has proposed extreme and hateful reforms targeting the LGBTQIA+ community.

On 15 October, Turkish lawmakers shared a draft of their 11th Judicial Reform Package, which includes updates to existing laws that restrict trans and queer people.

Under the proposed legislation, “any person who engages in, publicly encourages, praises, or promotes attitudes or behaviours contrary to their biological sex at birth and public morality” could face one to three years in prison, per Türkiye Today.

Another portion of legislation would reportedly make the legal age for gender reassignment surgery change from 18 to 25.

Individuals looking to have the procedure would also need to be unmarried, receive a medical board report confirming that the procedure is “psychologically necessary” from a Ministry of Health-approved hospital; obtain four separate evaluations that are spaced three months apart; and have a court order amendment to their civil registry once the aforementioned medical report is approved.

Individuals with genetic or hormonal disorders would be the only ones exempt from the proposed regulations.  

Medical professionals who perform gender affirming surgery without going through the aforementioned archaic steps could face three to seven years in prison and fines.

In addition to severely limiting trans people’s accessibility to gender affirming care, the proposed reforms target same-sex couples.

If a couple is caught having an engagement or wedding ceremony, they can face between one and a half to four years in prison.

The penalty for “public sexual acts or exhibitionism” would also increase from six months to a year to one to three years.

As for the stated purpose for introducing the hateful amendments, the document claims that it’s “to ensure the upbringing of physically and mentally healthy individuals and to protect the family institution and social structure, per Türkiye Today.

While homosexuality is not banned in Turkey, and despite the country being home to numerous LGBTQIA+ associations, homophobia is widespread and anti-discrimination laws are nonexistent.

Over the last decade, events for the community – like Pride marches and other queer-focused gatherings – have faced censorship by government authorities. The conservative country has even opted out of competing in Eurovision due to the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ contestants.

In November 2024, Turkish authorities banned the screening of Luca Guadagnino’s drama Queer at Mubi Fest Istanbul, leading the organisation to cancel the event altogether.

The Nasdaq Composite‘s brutal 3.6% sell-off on Oct. 10 was a painful reminder of how quickly growth stocks can sell off when doubt creeps in. Friday’s tumble marked the worst session since April during the height of trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

The sell-off was a reaction to the U.S. threatening an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports as a retaliation for China’s stricter export controls on rare-earth minerals and magnets. These materials and products are used across economic sectors, including semiconductors and technological equipment with artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

On Oct. 12, reports indicated that China would not back down against escalated tariff threats from the U.S.

Investors often talk about buying opportunities when the market is selling off. But it can be just as helpful to be aware of potential mistakes and prevent them before they do damage to your portfolio. Here are three that apply to AI growth stock investors who are preparing for next year.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Having an overly concentrated AI portfolio

A common mistake is to overly focus on one facet of a value chain.

For example, an investor may own Nvidia (NVDA -0.17%), Broadcom, and Advanced Micro Devices as a way to diversify across different AI chip designers. The issue is that many of these companies have the same customers. For example, OpenAI is buying chips from all three companies to build out 10 gigawatts of data centers. If OpenAI were to cut its spending, it could affect the earnings of all three companies.

Similarly, equipment suppliers like Applied Materials, Lam Research, and ASML all share the same largest customers — which are semiconductor manufacturers like Taiwan Semiconductor, Samsung Electronics, and Intel. So if Taiwan Semi cuts its spending, it would reduce earnings across the semiconductor equipment supplier industry.

Further down the value chain are the cloud computing giants like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Alphabet-owned Google Cloud, and Oracle. These companies benefit from increased AI spending, but they also serve general computing and storage needs. A slowdown in AI spending, or a widespread economic downturn, could reduce demand for additional cloud computing usage across major corporations.

By building out an AI portfolio across the value chain rather than focusing on one segment, you can help reduce volatility and limit the damage of an industry-specific pullback.

2. Ignoring position sizing

Portfolio sizing and allocation are just as important as the stocks and exchange-traded funds owned. You don’t want to be so diversified that your best ideas don’t make a big impact, but you also don’t want to be overly concentrated to the point where a handful of stocks can damage your financial health.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to diversification. But factors to consider include investment goals, investment time horizon, and risk tolerance.

A risk-averse investor would probably want to limit the size of a single stock in their financial portfolio, whereas an investor with a high risk tolerance and a multi-decade time horizon may not mind betting big on a handful of stocks, especially if they are still making new contributions to their investment accounts.

3. Buying stocks and not companies

Building a diversified portfolio isn’t enough. In fact, it’s not even the most important factor.

Arguably, the greatest mistake investors can make when approaching AI is to invest in stocks rather than companies. In other words, focusing too much on price action and potential gains rather than on what a company does and where it could be headed.

Peter Lynch’s investment advice to “know what you own, and why you own it,” still rings true today. Without conviction, a concoction of emotion and volatility can corrode the foundations of even the strongest portfolios. An investor may hold positions in stocks just because they are going up, even if those gains are temporary, because they don’t have to do with the underlying investment thesis.

The best investments are the ones you can put a decent amount of your portfolio into and be confident in owning, even if they suffer an extreme sell-off — like we saw in April during the height of trade tensions. If someone bought Nvidia just to make a quick buck, they may have been tempted to sell it when it fell by over 37% from its high in early April. Or when it dropped over 55% from its high in 2022. But someone investing in Nvidia for its multi-decade potential in AI data centers would have had an easier time holding the stock throughout these volatile periods.

Unlocking lasting success in the stock market

Diversifying across the AI value chain in companies you understand and with an awareness of portfolio sizing can help you build a portfolio that’s built to last, rather than one that can get hot only if the conditions are right.

Long-term investors know that success is more about making consistently good decisions over an extended period, rather than a few great ideas wedged between mediocrity and mistakes.

AI stocks have generated monster returns for patient investors, and many have the potential to create lasting generational wealth going forward. But those gains could take time, with many bumps along the way.

No one knows when the next major stock market sell-off will occur. Instead of guessing the timing and severity of a sell-off, it’s better to put your effort into following great companies and limiting mistakes.

In sum, diversification, conviction, and good companies are components that can help you build an investment suspension system capable of absorbing sell-off shocks.

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge blocked the Trump administration Wednesday from firing thousands of government workers based on the ongoing federal shutdown, granting a request from employee unions in California.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued the temporary restraining order after concluding that the unions “will demonstrate ultimately that what’s being done here is both illegal and is in excess of authority and is arbitrary and capricious.”

Illston slammed the Trump administration for failing to provide her with clear information about what cuts are actually occurring, for repeatedly changing its description and estimates of job cuts in filings before the court, and for failing — including during Wednesday’s hearing in San Francisco — to articulate an argument for why such cuts are not in violation of federal law.

“The evidence suggests that the Office of Management and Budget, OMB, and the Office of Personnel Management, OPM, have taken advantage of the lapse in government spending and government functioning to assume that all bets are off, that the laws don’t apply to them anymore,” Illston said — which she said was not the case.

She said the government justified providing inaccurate figures for the number of jobs being eliminated under its “reduction in force” orders by calling it a “fluid situation” — which she did not find convincing.

“What it is is a situation where things are being done before they are being thought through. It’s very much ready, fire, aim on most of these programs,” she said. “And it has a human cost, which is really why we’re here today. It’s a human cost that cannot be tolerated.”

Illston also ran through a string of recent comments made by President Trump and other members of his administration about the firings and their intentionally targeting programs and agencies supported by Democrats, saying, “By all appearances, they’re politically motivated.”

The Trump administration has acknowledged dismissing about 4,000 workers under the orders, while Trump and other officials have signaled that more would come Friday.

Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said Wednesday on “The Charlie Kirk Show” that the number of jobs cut could “probably end up being north of 10,000,” as the administration wants to be “very aggressive where we can be in shuttering the bureaucracy, not just the funding,” and the shutdown provided that opportunity.

Attorneys for the unions, led by the American Federation of Government Employees, said that the figures were unreliable and that they feared additional reduction in force orders resulting in more layoffs, as promised by administration officials, if the court did not step in and block such actions.

Illston, an appointee of President Clinton, did just that.

She barred the Trump administration and its various agencies “from taking any action to issue any reduction in force notices to federal employees in any program, project or activity” involving union members “during or because of the federal shutdown.”

She also barred the administration from “taking any further action to administer or implement” existing reduction notices involving union members.

Illston demanded that the administration provide within two days a full accounting of all existing or “imminent” reduction in force orders that would be blocked by her order, as well as the specific number of federal jobs affected.

Elizabeth Hedges, an attorney for the Trump administration, had argued during the hearing that the order should not be granted for several procedural reasons — including that the alleged harm to federal employees from loss of employment or benefits was not “irreparable” and could be addressed through other avenues, including civil litigation.

Additionally, she argued that federal employment claims should be adjudicated administratively, not in district court; and that the reduction in force orders included 60-day notice periods, meaning the layoffs were not immediate and therefore the challenge to them was not yet “ripe” legally.

However, Hedges would not discuss the case on its actual merits — which is to say, whether the cuts were actually legal or not, which did not seem to sit well with Illston.

“You don’t have a position on whether it’s OK that they do what they’re doing?” Illston asked.

“I am not prepared to discuss that today, your honor,” Hedges said.

“Well — but it’s happening. This hatchet is falling on the heads of employees all across the nation, and you’re not even prepared to address whether that’s legal, even though that’s what this motion challenges?” Illston said.

“That’s right,” Hedges said — stressing again that there were “threshold” arguments for why the case shouldn’t even be allowed to continue to the merits stage.

Danielle Leonard, an attorney for the unions, suggested the government’s positions were indefensible and directly in conflict with public statements by the administration — including remarks by Trump on Tuesday that more cuts are coming Friday.

“How do we know this? Because OMB and the president relentlessly are telling us, and other members of the administration,” Leonard said.

Leonard said the harm from the administration’s actions is obvious and laid out in the union’s filings — showing how employees have at times been left in the dark as to their employment status because they don’t have access to work communication channels during the shutdown, or how others have been called in to “work without pay to fire their fellow employees” — only to then be fired themselves.

“There are multiple types of harm that are caused exactly right now — emotional trauma. That’s not my word, your honor, that is the word of OMB Director Vought. Let’s cause ‘trauma’ to the federal workforce,” Leonard said. “And that’s exactly what they are doing. Trauma. The emotional distress of being told you are being fired after an already exceptionally difficult year for federal employees.”

Skye Perryman, president and chief executive of Democracy Forward, which is co-counsel for the unions, praised Illston’s decision in a statement after the hearing.

“The statements today by the court make clear that the President’s targeting of federal workers — a move straight out of Project 2025’s playbook — is unlawful,” Perryman said. “Our civil servants do the work of the people, and playing games with their livelihoods is cruel and unlawful and a threat to everyone in our nation.”

Illston asked the two parties to confer on the best date, probably later this month, for a fuller hearing on whether she should issue a more lasting preliminary injunction in the case.

“It would be wonderful to know what the government’s position is on the merits of this case — and my breath is bated until we find that,” Illston said.

After the hearing, during a White House news conference, Trump said his administration was paying federal employees whom “we want paid” while Vought uses the shutdown to dismiss employees perceived as supporting Democratic initiatives.

“Russell Vought is really terminating tremendous numbers of Democrat projects — not only jobs,” Trump said.

Garry Beach, in the north of the Isle of Lewis, has been named the most underrated beach in the whole of the UK by Boat Booker. Milo Boyd went to see what everyone has been missing

Milo Boyd is a Digital Travel reporter who covers aviation news, the environment, the cruise industry and much else including travel tips, bargain holiday suggestions and inspirational global trips.

Far, far away – perhaps as far away as you can get from Greggs in the UK – is the country’s most underrated beach.

The Outer Hebrides may not be home to a single outlet of the beloved sausage roll franchise, but it does have Garry Beach. It sits high up on the largest of the Western Isles, Lewis.

Garry has just been named the most underrated beach in the UK by Boat Booker. Studying Google Maps beaches tagged as “secluded” and “secret,” and then ranking those with fewer than 100 reviews, the firm highlighted those coastal spots with pristine waters and dramatic scenery where relatively few have trodden.

Scotland dominates the rankings, with six locations in the top 10. Spots on islands such as Mull and Barra are high up. Porth Trwyn in Wales is the highest-ranked non-Scottish beach, coming in at four.

OPINION

Milo Boyd

OPINION

Milo Boyd

It is easy to understand why the Hebridean seaside might be underrated, given how remote and difficult most of it is to get. And this particularly goes for Garry Beach.

I spent two days, about eight hours of driving, a three-hour ferry, and a five-hour train, getting to the Isle of Lewis, before another hour on the road north of Stornoway to Garry Beach. I did so in a hefty Range Rover which I borrowed from the kind people at Turo rental car.

If the journey 668 miles from London to Stornoway doesn’t put you off, then the 15 miles from Stornoway to Garry Beach might. I’d argue it’s among the dullest, bleakest stretches of countryside in the UK.

Sitting in the back of the spacious Sport 2020, my Swedish in-laws kept muttering about just how bleak a destination it was. But, when we arrived, North Lewis’s less fetching roads were quickly forgotten. The beach itself is lovely.

A small car park holding around five vehicles was situated a short two-minute walk from the water’s edge. From there, we wandered over a grassy knoll onto the sandy bay, which stretches several hundred metres on either side.

Like many of the more remote Scottish beaches – and particularly the sandy ones that can be found in the Hebrides and Shetland – the water is a brilliant blue that feels like it’s been lifted by a fire-fighting plane straight out of a rum advert filmed in the Caribbean and dumped several thousand miles away for the benefit of a handful of dog walkers and a lone fisherman.

The beach sits on the eastern edge of Lewis, meaning it is not treated to the dramatic waves and salty spray of the island’s Atlantic coast. Things are a little more gentle here. Rather than smashing them in a froth, waves lap around the intriguing rock formations that stick up from the sand. Several have been eroded to create excellent climbing platforms and archways into the surf.

Beyond the fact that the Isle of Lewis is miles away from all but the 20,000 or so people who live there, Garry Beach has another major issue: the weather.

The hottest temperature ever recorded on Lewis was 26.3 °C, back in 1999. Unless you’re incredibly lucky, this beach requires a serious raincoat and the ability to withstand Hebridean gales.

During the high season of July, sunseekers can expect 12 days of rain and the mercury to hit average highs of 16C. That is roughly 7C colder than the southern coast of England.

Unless you are made of incredibly stern stuff, this is not a beach for lounging on the sand for hours on end or frolicking in the waves. It is a beach that combines the beautiful and the bleak of the British Isles’ coastline in a way that few other places anywhere can.

If you like the sound of what Garry is offering, but don’t think you can face the mammoth journey, then there are some slightly closer options. One of my personal favourites is Sandaig, a beach several miles from the beautiful Scottish village of Glenelg.

The peaceful spot was immortalised as Camusfearna in ‘Ring of Bright Water’, a book written by Gavin Maxwell about his life living alongside pet otters.

Not only is the water sparkling and very tempting for those who can handle the intense chill of a Scottish sea loch, winding paths lined by little bushes and tree run between craggy rock towers, creating the perfect arena for a game of Flags or 40:40. If the weather does close in a little, then there’s plenty of driftwood lying around that can be used to warm a chilled party huddled in one of Sandaig’s natural rock alcoves.