KATIE Price has begged her terminally ill mum Amy to “find the strength to stay” in an emotional Instagram post.

The 48-year-old star said she’s never loved anyone as much as seriously ill Amy, 74, who is living lung condition Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).

She wrote: “Mum please don’t leave me, please find the strength to stay
with me longer on this earth your my EVERYTHING.

“And you know I’ve turned everything around and your so proud of me.
Your my eyes, my voice, my strength, my absolute Everything.

“You’re a warrior and I’m your baby girl always and you love me through everything and held my hand. I can’t lose yo, u not n, ow not EVE”R.”

Just days ago, Katie revealed on her podcast with sister Sophie that their mum Amy is in hospital and “very poorly”.

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Amy was diagnosed with IPF in 2017 and the chronic condition causes irreversible scarring of the lung’s air sacs making it difficult to breathe.

She had a lifesaving lung transplant in 2023 after drifting into a coma and being days away from death.

In July, Katie said she feared Amy might die while filming her recent autobiographical Sky documentary.

“There were so many times we thought we were gonna lose mum through the filming,” admitted Katie.

Sophie agreed, saying she didn’t think Amy was “going to make it.”

Katie went on: “She just keeps battling through and I never thought she’d make the BAFTAs [in February], none of us did.”

‘I don’t eat mozzarella outside Puglia,” says our friend Savio. “It’s not the same.” Savio is a very opinionated foodie, so I take his words with a pinch of good Puglian sea salt (see below). He was adamant about the superiority of the stretched-curd cheese from his home turf.

Puglia is also the birthplace of ingredient du jour burrata, which originated in Andria, a few miles from Savio’s home town of Barletta. Andria forms one part of the triangular Barletta-Andria-Trani (BAT) province, often passed over for better-known parts of Puglia, despite the cheese connection and Barletta having miles of palm-backed, sandy beaches.

About a century ago, in the hills outside Andria, farmer Lorenzo Bianchino was snowed in and couldn’t get his milk to market. To save what he could, he revived an old technique for preserving butter (burro, hence burrata), stuffing cream mixed with mozzarella scraps (stracciatella) in a casing of the stretched-curd cheese.

There are now several burrata makers in Andria, the most famous being Caseificio Olanda, which offers demos, tastings and a museum. Late one morning, we watch Riccardo “Dino” Olanda, son of the founders, work his magic. He adds almost-boiling water to the curds, then mixes with hands red from doing this every day. As he stretches and massages the curds, a smooth velvety mass forms. “See how it’s shiny?” he says. “Means it’s ready.” Working quickly, he squeezes out round lumps between thumb and forefinger into the familiar mozzarella balls. This action is mozzare, hence the name.

He also makes little knots and plaits before moving on to burrata. Taking a warm mozzarella ball, he works it into a hollow bag with his fingers then fills it with cream and stracciatella before tying the top with string.

Afterwards, a dairy-heavy meal totally worth the cholesterol and calories: mozzarella and burrata to start, then bread with chunks of caciocavallo (a stretched-curd cheese), and a dessert of heart-shaped fresh ricotta with strawberry jam or cocoa.

And, I have to say, Savio is right. The mozzarella and burrata have a juicy, elastic texture and a gorgeous cheesy, umami flavour; the salt and flavour leached out by the whey the cheeses later sit in. How will I ever settle for Tesco Finest after this?

Over the next few days, eating our way around the province’s restaurants and food producers, I wonder whether it’s because the ingredients are so good that this area has so many food obsessives, or the other way round.

Barletta sees few foreign tourists, but it is full of Italian life. There are lots of independent shops, a Norman castle and cathedral to visit, and every evening people pour into the bars, clubs and gelaterie of the sette strade, seven parallel streets in the old town.

Down the coast, Trani, with its sea-facing romanesque cathedral and pretty harbour, attracts some tourists, but they are not in evidence at 7am when the fishing boats return. The men complain of rough seas and a poor catch, but from the back of the boats they’re soon selling mullet, octopus, skate, fat sea snails, monkfish and palombo (small shark) to restaurateurs and fishmongers. Thirtysomething Nicola says he went out at midday and got back at 3am. When does he sleep? “Never.” A fifth-generation fisher, he began helping on the boats aged six.

We’ll eat fish later, but today is for pizza. Portento in Barletta is run by food nut Luigi Lacerenza. He has us try so many local products as antipasti – caprino goat’s cheese tasting of green mountains, grilled caciocavallo from an old couple who make just six a week and small-batch salami – that we’re almost too full for pizzas. But they are wonderful: one with sausage, olives, oyster mushrooms and yellow tomatoes; another with aubergines and grated cacioricotta.

In Cerignola, west of Barletta, Rosario Didonna used the money he won on a TV standup competition to turn his family’s deli into a cosy, wood- panelled restaurant, U’ Vulèsce (dialect for “peckish”). Rosario knows fishers by name, works with small farmers and wine producers, and invites nonne from all over southern Italy to demonstrate recipes in his kitchens.

We start with tasty goat prosciutto and plum-sized local olives called bella di Cerignola. Then an unforgettable prawn tartare served in sea urchin shells, hairy crab spaghetti (“the juice is better than lobster”), octopus with bean puree, and sea bass with orange mayo. He waves away our thanks: “I’m doing the best job in the world!”

Nicola Barbera at Masseria Barbera, a farm restaurant in the Alta Murgia national park, is equally inspired, but rather by what grows on the estate founded by his great-great-great-great-grandfather Riccardo, who fought with Garibaldi. Exuberantly bouncing us around the farm – it produces 90% of what the 100-cover restaurant needs – he shows us olives and vines, but also the “weeds” growing around them. “They’re eatable,” he says, grabbing handfuls of peppery rocket, and bitter but delicate wild chicory. From the abundant kitchen garden, he makes eight varieties of tomato sauce.

We tuck into a lot of this for lunch: a pie with white onions, anchovy and sultanas; courgettes with mint and garlic; spaghetti with yellow tomatoes. (“I call it bastard sauce,” says Nicola. “Those tomatoes take three times as long to pick.”) Then, something I never thought I’d eat: grilled donkey fillet. I feel bad about the patient, mild-tempered beasts, but this is healthy, low-fat food, never intensively farmed. It’s also the best meat I’ve ever tasted.

Good food is made better by good olive oil, and producers here include Muraglia, known for organic oil in hand-painted, rainbow-stripe ceramic bottles, and Sabino Leone, offering tours of its ancient groves and oil mill for €15, plus tastings.

This area also offers plenty to do between meals. Barletta was the home of Italian painter Giuseppe De Nittis, who hung out with Degas and Manet, and took part in the first impressionist exhibition in Paris, in 1874. Over 200 of his works are now displayed in the 16th-century Palazzo della Marra (€6).

At Europe’s biggest salt pan, Salina Margherita di Savoia, there’s an expanse of peaceful ponds with a snow-white salt mountain to climb. Another day, an exhilarating ebike ride in the Alta Murgia with Filippo Tito of Cycling ’n’ Trek, through dense forest to peer with awe into an old bauxite mine that resembles a mini grand canyon. We get back ravenous, but in this corner of northern Puglia, that’s a blessing.

Where to stay

Until this century, Barletta had little tourist accommodation. Pick of the few B&Bs is Antica Dimora (doubles from €97), a restored 17th-century palazzo run by Lilly and Riccardo Manna. There are three smart bedrooms with lots of plants and breakfast features different local specialities each day.

Lama di Luna (doubles from €230) is an organic farm in deep countryside, with six rooms set around an 18th-century stone courtyard. A well and solar panels make it energy and water self-sufficient; half of its 200 hectares are left wild, the rest are planted with olives, vines, almonds and cherries. There’s a cinema, a library and a large pool shaded by 600-year-old olive trees.

Where (else) to eat

Barletta’s 60-year-old Mosé bakery is revered for its krapfen filled doughnuts and sourdough croissants. There are also chocolates, ice-cream and cakes, all housemade, and great coffee.

Puglia has hundreds of gelaterie but experts rate Scoop in Canosa (which is called Puglia’s “Little Rome” for its catacombs, temple ruins and Roman bridge). Francesco Di Nunno makes ice-cream with local seasonal ingredients: raspberry and strawberry sorbets are available only in early summer; percoca yellow peach until mid-August.

There’s affordable fine dining at chef Luciano Matera’s Il Turracciolo in central Andria. Highlights for me are broad bean and chicory “meatballs”, bright green inside; a “hidden mushroom” under baked eggy topping; and pasta discs with whole and pureed green beans and peas.

At A Sud dell’Anima, chef Nadia Tamburrano uses modern techniques and hyper-local ingredients to make food of astonishing quality for a small hilltop town (Minervino, population under 8,000). Her antipasti explode with flavour thanks to house-cured capers and homemade mustard, syrups and purees. A main of sweetbreads wrapped in intestines feels a bit out-there, but is delicious, the intestines crispy as crackling.

The trip was organised by Unexpected Italy, which offers personalised itineraries for Barletta and the surrounding area

NHS worker Francesca Longhurst says the fine is worth it as they wouldn’t have been able to afford the holiday when schools break up

A couple who were fined £640 for taking their children out of class for a Disney World adventure say they have no regrets as the fee was still far cheaper than splashing out for a trip during the school holidays. NHS worker Francesca Longhurst, 32, and plasterer Liam Longhurst, 37, worked hard and saved for years to take their children Lily, 11, and George, six, on their dream vacation.

With steep pricing during school holidays, they say they had to pull the kids out during term time or not travel at all. Wanting to give their kids life-long memories, the hard-working pair decided on the former – and were subsequently punished. Francesca and Liam were handed fines of £160 per parent per child – leaving them with a total bill of £640 for a two-week absence.

But they say they would still do it all over again. The pair say going during term time likely saved them £9,000 minimum.

“It was a holiday we have dreamed of for years but never thought we’d be able to afford it as it’s so expensive,” said Francesca, from Sandwell, West Midlands. “We put every but of money we had spare into this trip and works extra hours and days to be able to afford it. To be able to take our kids on this once-in-a-lifetime trip was so magical.

“They thank us everyday for taking them and letting them experience it. We went in term time in June because the price is triple the cost to go during the holidays. I priced up for Easter holidays and the holiday was coming to £12,000 just for the flights and hotel – and that’s without park tickets on top.

“It’s the same for every holiday you look at even those in England at caravan parks and holiday camps.”

In the end, the family splashed out a total of £7,500, including £3,000 on flights and accommodation and £4,500 for theme park tickets.

They received their penalty notices on August – around two months after returning home. Although the couple were able to afford the £640 fine because they had budgeted for it, Francesca worries such “ridiculous” penalties could cause financial hardship for other families.

She said: “We knew we would have to pay this when we come back. The fines are ridiculous but what’s more atrocious is that if we did this again within a three-year-period we could be prosecuted and sent to prison for child neglect, when all we have done is taken our children on holiday.

“Every child deserves a holiday but not every parent can afford to go during school time. The amount is what it is – it’s a small price to pay compared to what we saved by going in the school holidays, but I’d love to know where the money goes to.

“You have real criminals out on the streets yet you are sending innocent families to prison for taking their kids out of school. The whole system is a joke.”

The parents deliberately waited until Lily had completed her SATs before travelling and believes neither child missed any essential learning. Francesca said: “While we was away, she missed out on two school trips, one to Alton Towers and the other to the Black Country museum, which we have been to many times.

“She also missed out on sports day. We were walking 20,000 plus steps a day. It was the holiday of a lifetime and we went to some of the best theme parks in the world but it was also very educational.

“We swam with dolphins, fed alligators, learned about wildlife and they tried different foods. What they learned in those two weeks I can guarantee was more than they learn in the last few weeks of the school year when everything starts to die down.

“The school was also closed or open partially due to the heatwave so we are being fined for our kids being off school when others were allowed because it was too hot. Both of my children are either excelling or exactly where they need to be in regards to education and have an excellent attendance other than when we go on holiday.”

While Francesca says she understands why attendance rules exist, she believes parents should be allowed a limited number of authorised holiday days each year. She added: “We unfortunately cannot take our children on holiday again during school time due to the risk of being prosecuted.

“I work for the NHS – this would mean me losing my job as you cannot have anything on your DBS. Myself and my husband have always worked and work hard and we don’t have fancy jobs.

“Any holidays we go on, we have to save hard for. It could really put families under financial strain. We live in a cost of living crisis, you can have a good week one week and a bad one the next.

“If you’re having a bad week or month when these fines come through with a date stating it must be paid by a certain date or you will be prosecuted, this could worry people, put them into debt and affect their mental health. I’m not saying I don’t agree with the fines completely, but I do think every child should be entitled to say 10 authorised days from school a year.

“After this then yes, send the fines out because education is important.”

A Sandwell Council spokesperson said: “We recognise that there is financial pressure on families and term-time holidays may be tempting. But attendance at school is vitally important for children to reach their potential, and to gain the skills and qualifications that will give them the best start in life and the best future.

“Like all councils across the country, we work with schools to implement Government policy on unauthorised absence.”

Los Angeles: The brightest stars in television are set to walk the red carpet Monday at the Emmy Awards, with horror-comedy series “Widow’s Bay” and gritty hospital drama “The Pitt” expected to win big.

Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay,” which stars Matthew Rhys as the leader of an isolated New England island that appears to be haunted, has emerged as one of the most talked-about debut series of the year.

“People just love that show,” Christopher Rosen, deputy editor of Hollywood news outlet The Ankler, told AFP.

It scooped up eight awards in the pre-gala ceremonies, and is in position to become the most awarded comedy series in a single year, surpassing the 13 trophies won last year by Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire “The Studio.”

Rosen said he believes that Rhys — a winner for best drama actor for “The Americans” in 2018 — could now earn his first comedy Emmy.

A strong night for “Widow’s Bay” does not bode well for “Hacks,” the tale of a stand-up comedian trying to revive her career and the dysfunctional millennial assistant who helps her.

Its one solid bet left in the running – and maybe its only statuette, says Rosen – is a best actress prize for Jean Smart.

“That’s a great way to honor the final season,” Rosen told AFP. “She’s never lost from playing this part. I don’t see why she would lose for the final season.”

Smart, who turned 75 on Sunday, has won four Emmys for the show so far.

A win on Monday would give her eight acting Emmys, tying her with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most ever by a performer. Allison Janney is also vying for her eighth Emmy, for “The Diplomat.”

’The Pitt’ expected to repeat as best drama

“The Pitt,” last year’s winner for best drama, follows the stressed-out workers in a Pittsburgh emergency room, with each episode unfolding in real time.

Tackling everything from abortion rights to immigration crackdowns to mass shootings, the show is the odds-on favorite to sweep several drama prizes including best series.

“If ‘The Pitt’ doesn’t win, it would be a tremendous shock,” Rosen said.

It led all shows with 25 nominations, and already won four awards in the early ceremonies, including best casting for a drama series.

Star Noah Wyle, who has racked up awards over the past year including an Emmy, is expected to triumph again. Seven of his co-stars are hopefuls in the supporting acting categories.

For best drama actress, Rosen says it will be a race between “Pluribus” star Rhea Seehorn and Keri Russell for political soap opera “The Diplomat.”

In the limited series categories, HBO Max’s “DTF St Louis” – the tale of a middle-aged love triangle gone wrong – is a top contender.

The show has scooped up six prizes so far, including two for actors David Harbour and Linda Cardellini.

Dolly tribute

The 78th Emmy Awards gala will be hosted by “Law and Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay, who won two Emmys for her documentary “My Mom Jayne.”

It will feature a tribute to late country music icon Dolly Parton, who was also an Emmy winner, and a performance from Noah Kahan, who will sing “Bridge Over Troubled Water” during the broadcast’s In Memoriam segment.

The gala also will deliver some TV nostalgia, with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz among the presenters, along with “Charlie’s Angels” stars Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd, and Jaclyn Smith.

Zendaya, a past winner and current nominee for best drama actress for “Euphoria,” is on the list of presenters, guaranteeing at least one bona fide red carpet moment.

The Emmys ceremony begins at 5:00 pm Monday (0000 GMT Tuesday).

Srinagar: Every spring, mason Mohammad Ghulam Sarwar boards a train to Indian Kashmir, seeking higher wages despite the risk of being targeted by militants in the disputed Himalayan region.

Sarwar, 25, is one of an estimated half a million migrant workers who stream into the Himalayan region each year, forming the backbone of an economy increasingly reliant on labour from some of India’s poorest states.

The dependence has endured despite decades of insurgency and a series of militant attacks that have made migrant workers vulnerable targets.

Since 2019, at least 24 migrant workers have been killed in militant attacks across the territory, according to local media reports.

More than 1500 people were killed in the same period, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, 219 of them civilians.

The latest attack last month saw gunmen shoot dead two brick kiln workers from the central state of Chhattisgarh.

But for workers like Sarwar, the rewards outweigh the risks.

“Kashmir is real paradise. I will keep coming every year for as long as I have the strength to work,” Sarwar, from the eastern state of Bihar, told AFP.

While millions of Indians seek jobs in the Gulf, some workers say Kashmir offers nearly comparable earnings without the costs and complications of overseas migration.

Sarwar earns 1,200 rupees ($12) a day in Kashmir, compared with about 700 rupees in Bihar for the same work, if he could find any at all.

The Muslim-majority region, battling some of India’s highest unemployment rates, has become increasingly dependent on outsiders to perform jobs that many locals consider menial, including domestic work, agriculture and construction.

Local businesses say they struggle to find workers willing or able to take up many jobs.

“Outside the handicrafts sector there is not nearly enough local skilled labour available in Kashmir,” said Mohammad Ashraf Mir of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“We see a rising dependence on migrant workers, tending towards absolute dependence.”

Waiting to be hired

Each morning, groups of labourers gather at prominent squares in the main city of Srinagar, waiting to be hired.

Most stay for about eight months before departing ahead of Kashmir’s harsh winter, when construction slows and agricultural activity dwindles.

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, while an insurgency against Indian rule that erupted in 1989 has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Although the rebellion has been largely weakened in recent years, sporadic attacks continue.

Sarwar said he saw a barber from his home state shot dead by suspected rebels some years ago.

While he was saddened by the incident, it failed to deter him.

“Life and death are in the hands of God,” he said.

“If I remain fearful, I will have nothing. But if I overcome, I will have everything.”

Sarwar shares a building in Srinagar with around 200 other labourers. Some 7-10 workers squeeze into tiny rooms, sleeping and cooking in the same cramped space while paying little more than five dollars a month each.

Outside, security is conspicuous.

Paramilitary troops, armoured vehicles and police special operations units patrol streets. CCTV cameras monitor the compound around the clock.

“They have been soft targets for the terrorists in the past,” a senior security official said on condition of anonymity.

“But security arrangements for them have become robust over time.”

‘Feels peaceful’

Police encourage labourers to live in clusters and avoid venturing out after dark.

A labourer from West Bengal said many Hindu workers adopt Muslim-sounding names while in Kashmir, fearing that displaying their religion could make them targets.

Rebel groups say they target migrant workers to avenge police harassment of their families.

Many labourers are reluctant to discuss security concerns publicly.

“I face no troubles here,” said Mohammad Iqbal, a 53-year-old painter from Uttar Pradesh state who has worked in Kashmir since before the insurgency began and is now accompanied by his son.

“It feels peaceful.”

Others are more candid.

“I am afraid of terrorists here,” said Shahid Sofi, a 24-year-old mason from Bihar who previously worked in Delhi and Mumbai.

“But overall working conditions here are good, the weather is good, and I like working in the wide, open spaces of Kashmir.”

Khan Yunis: As monitors beep and doctors consult near them, two tiny newborns lie silently side-by-side, sharing a single incubator in a southern Gaza hospital running short on space and supplies.

Gaza’s youngest already face an extremely precarious entry into the world, given the dire humanitarian situation in the war-shattered territory that borders Israel and Egypt.

But for babies needing specialist care, such as those born prematurely, the road ahead is even more perilous.

“The situation is dire: there is no oxygen available for them, nor is there any spare incubators in the hospital,” said Hatem Dhahir, head of the neonatal department at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Yunis.

“We’re trying to transfer them to other hospitals, but they’re always full and the situation is very bad. Most of the children need oxygen and are very underweight, and things are going from bad to worse,” he told AFP.

The war between Israel and Hamas has devastated the Palestinian territory’s healthcare system, with many medical facilities rendered completely or partially unusable.

Ongoing Israeli restrictions on goods entering the Gaza Strip mean medical supplies and specialist equipment are also running low.

Dhahir said Nasser hospital had seen a significant increase in the number of premature births in recent months, as well as twins and triplets.

The influx was forcing staff to place two or even three babies in each incubator, he said.

In March, the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA said that one in three pregnancies in Gaza were high-risk and 70 percent of newborns were premature or underweight.

Incubator sharing significantly increased mortality risks, it said.

‘No room’

Nearly the entirety of Gaza’s population was displaced at least once during the devastating war which started in October 2023.

The fighting flattened swathes of the territory, left hundreds of thousands of people living in tents and temporary shelters and shattered vital infrastructure such as sanitation and access to safe water.

Despite a US-backed ceasefire declared in October 2025, the Israeli military continues to target Palestinians it says are militants.

A UN-mandated inquiry published in June said that severe shortages of food, medical supplies, fuel and the collapse of healthcare services had an enormous impact on maternal health.

“Against this background, rates of miscarriage, stillbirth, low-birthweight infants and congenital defects have increased,” the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry said.

Heart conditions were among three types of congenital defects to have particularly increased, the commission said, citing medical practitioners.

In southern Gaza, Mona Ahmad was accompanying a baby taken to Nasser hospital in late August and diagnosed with a serious congenital defect in which the heart’s two main blood vessels are switched in position.

“We received a final report stating that the baby was suffering from transposed arteries and needed to be transferred, as there was absolutely no treatment available for her here,” Ahmad told AFP.

“The baby spent a full week in the neonatal unit and was discharged because there was no room for her there,” she added.

In a bid to revive Gaza’s neonatal care system, the UN children’s agency UNICEF has scaled up its work to supply medical equipment such as incubators, ventilators and monitors to hospitals.

Including work that began before the ceasefire, UNICEF has supplied 93 incubators to six facilities across the Gaza Strip.

But challenges remain immense and more needs to be done, said Toby Fricker, chief of advocacy and communications for UNICEF Palestine, following a visit to a neonatal intensive care unit in the territory.

For now, “through the pure… resilience of the doctors, of people, things are working,” he said.

Demonstrators burn tyres and block highways as protests over increased fuel prices grip Syrian cities.

Protests have erupted across several cities in Syria after the government increased fuel prices, with demonstrators blocking a main highway for several hours.

The government raised prices on Sunday by up to 40 percent on diesel and 28 percent on petrol, in what it said were temporary increases caused by a sharp rise in the global cost of securing fuel.

Syria’s government also cited an overhaul of the critical Baniyas refinery for higher prices, saying it will raise capacity from 80,000 to 130,000 barrels per day.

Protests were reported in Hama, Khan Sheikhoun and Maarat al-Numan. Footage published by Al Jazeera shows crowds gathering on the street and burning tyres. The price increases also prompted fierce debate on social media.

The country is currently producing about 102,000 barrels of oil per day, while it needs about 325,000 barrels per day for domestic consumption and is relying on imports to make up the difference, Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said on Saturday.

The Ministry of Energy said it would continue to review prices as global market conditions change and would work over the long term to expand refining and storage capacity, according to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

Syria’s fuel supplies are key to the country’s economic recovery as it seeks to rebuild after 14 years of war.

A former employee of Activision Blizzard is suing the Santa Monica-based game company, alleging she was sexually harassed and subject to retaliation.

In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, the woman, filing anonymously as Jane Doe, says the game giant “fostered and tolerated a pervasive ‘frat boy’ workplace culture,” where male employees and supervisors “openly objectified women, viewed and displayed pornography” and made demeaning sexual remarks in her presence.

She is seeking unspecified compensatory damages, including for lost wages, benefits and earning capacity.

“We take these allegations seriously. We strive to maintain a respectful and inclusive workplace, and we do that through best-in-class policies and systems designed to prevent and address harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, and by holding employees accountable for their behavior,” said a Blizzard spokesperson in a statement to The Times.

The woman, who said she worked for the company for 14 years beginning in 2009 in its sound department, accuses 10 men of subjecting her variously to harassment, physical assault, inappropriate touching and inappropriate comments.

Between 2011 and 2012, she alleges, one co-worker lured her to his apartment, where he repeatedly touched her leg and “blocked her exit, threaten[ing] her with physical violence and attempted to rape her.” He continued to demand dates and spread sexual rumors about her calling her a “bitch” and “slut” in front of co-workers and a male manager, according to the suit.

Over five years starting in 2010, Jane Doe says that she was “repeatedly sexually harassed” by another man, a re-recording mixer with whom she worked with, and who told her that she would “be risking her career if she reported him,” the complaint states.

She further alleges that a third man, Blizzard’s audio director, “repeatedly touched” her leg “in a sexual manner without her permission” and when she rejected his advances he “retaliated against her by sabotaging her work and ensuring that she was denied a promotion.”

According to the suit, Jane Doe’s complaints and reports to her supervisors and human resources about her alleged treatment were dismissed and they “failed to take timely or effective corrective action.”

Further, the former employee says that she was “required to work excessive and unsafe hours” and told not to report overtime.

As a result of the harassment, the employee says in her complaint, she suffered suffered depression “and was required to seek ongoing psychiatric care” before being discharged in April 2024.

A year earlier, Activision Blizzard and California’s Civil Rights Department reached a roughly $50-million settlement agreement to resolve an employment discrimination and equal pay lawsuit. .

The Civil Rights Department sued Activision Blizzard in 2021, alleging that women at the company were regularly subjected to sexual harassment, paid less, denied promotions and met with retaliation when they raised concerns with managers.

As part of the agreement, Activision Blizzard agreed to pay up to $45.75 million to compensate women who worked for the company in California from Oct. 12, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2020. The company also agreed to pay $9.1 million to cover the Civil Rights Department’s attorneys fees and costs.
Activision Blizzard also settled a case with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. As part of that 2022 settlement, the company agreed to establish an $18-million fund for workers who experienced sexual harassment or discrimination, among other types of workplace misconduct.

Activision Blizzard has denied all wrongdoing.

SEOUL: North Korea said Monday it conducted a joint live-fire drill involving missiles, artillery and drones that it claimed demonstrated “huge destructive power.”

The test included firing different types of weapons simultaneously, likely aiming at developing the ability to overwhelm South Korean and U.S. air defenses.

Experts say North Korea is not slowing its testing activities even after U.S. President Donald Trump recently scaled back a military exercise with South Korea in an apparent effort to revive diplomacy with leader Kim Jong Un.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday’s drill was meant to practice the operations of an integrated weapons control system. South Korea’s military earlier said it detected short-range ballistic missile launches from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area on Saturday morning.

After observing the firing drill, North Korean Marshal Pak Jong Chon said the drill would “improve the level of specialization to bring down the enemy’s armed forces organizationally and structurally once an order is issued.” He added that the weapons systems mobilized demonstrated “the huge destructive power of concentrated fire,” according to KCNA.

It’s extremely difficult to independently verify North Korean claims on its weapons tests. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said several missiles fired Saturday each flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles) toward North Korea’s eastern waters. The flight distances signal that the weapons are designed to strike targets in South Korea including U.S. military bases.

The firing drill, which included North Korea’s first public ballistic missile launches in about three weeks, came a day after the United States, South Korea and Japan wrapped up a trilateral military exercise that North Korea views as a provocation.

In August, Trump ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” a major bilateral military exercise with South Korea, citing what he called a good relationship with Kim. But North Korea rebuffed Trump’s overture, saying that shortening the drill didn’t change its “provocative, aggressive nature.” The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise eventually ended six days earlier than originally scheduled.

Buoyed by his advancing nuclear arsenal and deepened ties with Russia and China, experts say Kim likely thinks he has greater leverage in possible diplomacy with the U.S. than when he first met Trump in 2018-2019.

Kim said earlier this year that he could return to talks if the U.S. drops its “hostile policy” against his country and respects what he calls the North’s status as a nuclear state.

SEOUL: North Korea said Monday it conducted a joint live-fire drill involving missiles, artillery and drones that it claimed demonstrated “huge destructive power.”

The test included firing different types of weapons simultaneously, likely aiming at developing the ability to overwhelm South Korean and U.S. air defenses.

Experts say North Korea is not slowing its testing activities even after U.S. President Donald Trump recently scaled back a military exercise with South Korea in an apparent effort to revive diplomacy with leader Kim Jong Un.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday’s drill was meant to practice the operations of an integrated weapons control system. South Korea’s military earlier said it detected short-range ballistic missile launches from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area on Saturday morning.

After observing the firing drill, North Korean Marshal Pak Jong Chon said the drill would “improve the level of specialization to bring down the enemy’s armed forces organizationally and structurally once an order is issued.” He added that the weapons systems mobilized demonstrated “the huge destructive power of concentrated fire,” according to KCNA.

It’s extremely difficult to independently verify North Korean claims on its weapons tests. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said several missiles fired Saturday each flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles) toward North Korea’s eastern waters. The flight distances signal that the weapons are designed to strike targets in South Korea including U.S. military bases.

The firing drill, which included North Korea’s first public ballistic missile launches in about three weeks, came a day after the United States, South Korea and Japan wrapped up a trilateral military exercise that North Korea views as a provocation.

In August, Trump ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” a major bilateral military exercise with South Korea, citing what he called a good relationship with Kim. But North Korea rebuffed Trump’s overture, saying that shortening the drill didn’t change its “provocative, aggressive nature.” The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise eventually ended six days earlier than originally scheduled.

Buoyed by his advancing nuclear arsenal and deepened ties with Russia and China, experts say Kim likely thinks he has greater leverage in possible diplomacy with the U.S. than when he first met Trump in 2018-2019.

Kim said earlier this year that he could return to talks if the U.S. drops its “hostile policy” against his country and respects what he calls the North’s status as a nuclear state.

Last week, Miami authorities identified the five people who died as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.

Five others were also injured.

“Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” 21 Air chief executive Keith Winters previously said.

“Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the appropriate authorities, and ensuring that accurate and verified information is communicated as it becomes available,” he added.

NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy called the crash site a scene of “utter devastation”.

The safety board’s investigators have recovered the flight recorders to analyse the conditions leading up to the crash.

Investigators released details that a pilot onboard the cargo plane noted that it was going too fast before it overshot the runway, the NTSB said in the early stages of investigation.

It said that one of the pilots warned the other pilot multiple times about “the aircraft’s excessive speed” but noted “there was not a consistent verbal response”, even as an altitude alarm sounded.

There were other electronic warnings designed to alert the pilots to danger while landing, investigators reported.

Poorna Jagannathan has played everything from a ruthless gangster (“Deli Boys”) to an overbearing immigrant mom (“Never Have I Ever”). Now with HBO’s “Lanterns,” she adds an all-powerful galactic android to her acting resume.

Her character’s identity was a secret for much of HBO’s DC Comics series until a reveal in Episode 4 that a rancher’s trophy wife, Zoe Macon (Jagannathan), was, in fact, the deadly Manhunter. Then another great surprise rocked the “Lanterns” universe Sunday when in Episode 5, she is killed by Lantern trainee, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre).

“She is dead, for sure. Maybe …” teases Jagannathan, who had to take a crash course in Green Lantern lore before assuming the role in the eight-episode series from showrunner and co-creator Chris Mundy (“Hell on Wheels,” “True Detective,” “Ozark”).

Jagannathan’s character belongs to an ancient, shape-shifting race created by the Guardians of the Universe as the galaxy’s first police force, but they’ve since gone rogue and are now out to eliminate the human race. Green lanterns are interstellar peacekeepers who wear rings that give them extraordinary powers. When veteran Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his mentee Stewart are tasked with solving a murder in rural Nebraska, they trip upon a great mystery that included ferreting out which resident in the small town of Rushville is the Manhunter.

The series has been lauded for elevating the superhero genre while presenting as a gritty crime drama. In this edited conversation, Jagannathan explains the demise of the Manhunter, how she morphed into a comic book villain for the role and what it’s like to feel all powerful at this stage in her career.

John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Zoe Macon (Poorna Jagannathan) in a scene from Episode 5 of “Lanterns.”

(HBO)

How much did you know about the DC universe before taking on this role?

I didn’t understand a lot of this world, but I did grow up on Wonder Woman. I twirled my way into my teens. So at least there’s that. It’s such a huge property, so there’s a lot to learn. But I realized that there’s a lot of similarities between Lucky (the gangster she played in “Deli Boys”) and Zoe. Lucky was originally written for a man. So with “Lanterns,” when I was first reading the script, I just kept looking at the cast of characters and thinking who might it be? I just expected a man would be playing the Maneater.

Maneater?

I mean Manhunter. I kept messing up and saying that when we started working on the show, too. It’s the name of an old Hall & Oates song. [Jagannathan hums, “She’s a man eater… .”]

Explain who or what a Manhunter is.

Manhunters were created by the galaxy as part of a police force, and then they went rogue. They were created to enforce justice, but it was a very particular kind of justice. There was no gray in the Manhunter. No emotion. It was either right or wrong, and they would eliminate what was wrong. But then they started feeling things.

The guardians saw it was an operation that went wrong so they closed it down. She [Zoe] is a sole survivor. She runs away to a place where she adapts quickly to the creatures around her, and learns how to feel. So she’s this feeling machine that battles against her own programming, but at the end of the day she can’t help her programming. When there’s a conflict, she resolves it by killing half the population.

Jagannathan on her character in “Lanterns”: “She’s a sole survivor. She runs away to a place where she adapts quickly to the creatures around her, and learns how to feel.”

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Manhunters morph to fit in with the population around them, but the skin your character chooses is that of a brown Indian woman. She does not look like anyone else in the small, predominantly white town of Rushville. Her explanation of why she made that decision — to essentially not fit in — is really powerful. Can you recall what she said?

I remember that monologue. [John Stewart] asks, “Why did you choose this skin?” I say, “Power.” “How do you conquer a civilization and a people?” You come to it from the outside. “How do you learn about things from the outside?” In your world, you don’t want obstacles, but in my world, I need those obstacles to get a higher vantage point, to see a deeper purpose.

The absolute outsiderness is a relatable point. I did ask Chris about it and he basically said that as an Indian woman in Nebraska, you’re an outsider. You’re already alien. People are not going to ask you a lot of questions. You’re not going to be part of any power structure. So she just is an anomaly, and there’s no more questions around it.

Did you know Zoe would turn out to be the Manhunter when you first auditioned for the role?

No. The scenes that I got were the one at the bar where I’m picking up Stewart, and the scene right before I die, which is [when we’re] in bed and I’m trying to get him to leave. Like “You gotta go or you’ll die!” They didn’t indicate she was extraterrestrial in anyway. There was no E.T. flair to [the dialogue]. It was so grounded that it was easy to inhabit this character. I’m happy because if I had had even an inkling she was the Manhunter, I might have brought an alien touch to the scene. But I couldn’t quite figure out her place in the story. Definitely not during the audition, and definitely not till I read the last [scene].

Your first big breakthrough on American television was in 2016’s “The Night Of.” That was 10 years ago. Now you’re landing all these powerful, commanding and sometimes villainous roles.

I’m telling you, it’s like I couldn’t have imagined a future like this. If you’d asked me back then what kind of role do you want, I’d have no idea. Between Zoe and Lucky, they’re my two favorite TV baddies. Then Nalini (the overbearing mom in “Never Have I Ever”) and Salma (who has an affair with the title character in “Ramy”). All these characters are very strong women.

What is it that you channel to embrace these powerful roles?

The second I turned 50, I just felt an inexplicable comfort in my own skin that I never felt before. A belonging in my own skin. That translates into belonging in different spaces where I could have been uncomfortable in before, so it’s a great time to inhabit these characters. Before I would have really s— myself with a character like Lucky or Zoe, but now it feels a lot more accessible.

1

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1. Jagannathan as Aunt Lucky in Hulu’s “Deli Boys.” (James Washington/Disney) 2. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi, left, and Jagannathan as Nalini in Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever.” (Isabella B. Vosmikova/Netflix)

Do you see similarities between the characters you’ve played over the past few years?

They’re untethered, powerful women. They will do anything to keep their power. Their north star is power over anything else. Usually with female characters, everything always hearkens back to the family. Zoe is older. She is confident. She weaponizes her femininity right away, and she’s unafraid. She does it with nonchalance. She appears to not give a [damn].

All villains and warriors have an Achilles’ heel, and for female roles in particular, it’s usually sacrificing themselves to protect their family. Family is their kryptonite.

But a character like Zoe is willing to destroy everything, including her family, to keep power. She’s untethered from love and responsibility. You always expect a very masculine force to come in with this kind of power, and the fact that it never does with “Lanterns” is so unique.

You spoke on a “Lanterns” panel at San Diego Comic–Con? Describe the experience.

The [people who come in costume] are better humans than I am. To go somewhere and have your entire family dressed in Spider-Man regalia, roaming the streets of San Diego. It’s a manifestation of pure, unbridled passion from youth then passed down through generations. I wish I too had a passion like that.

“The second I turned 50, I just felt an inexplicable comfort in my own skin that I never felt before,” Jagannathan says. “That translates into belonging in different spaces where I could have been uncomfortable in before, so it’s a great time to inhabit these characters.”

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Were you terrified somebody would ask you a complicated question …

… about Green Lantern?

Yes.

I had to be really upfront and honest and explain that I know so little. It’s Aaron [Pierre] who is really into comic books. He really got into this world. I did speak to a Green Lantern expert as part of the preparation for the role. I do remember him telling me how special John Stewart was in the universe. One of the first introductions of a Black superhero [in mainstream comics] was in Green Lantern, so it holds a very sacred space in comic book history.

Can you talk about your forthcoming Apple TV drama series, “Nocturne.”

It comes out Oct. 30, and it’s basically like if “Silence of the Lambs” was a documentary on Florence Nightingale. That makes it seem so tame, but it’s so, so frightening. The serial killer genre is new for me. I read the book [it’s based on] and had to install a security system in my home. I couldn’t sleep anymore! It’s with Stephen Graham, Liev Schreiber and Zazie Beetz. I play an overworked FBI agent who was brought in to help solve a crime that [law enforcement] initially tried to deal with internally and they messed it up. So they decided they decided to bring in the big guns.

You said earlier that Zoe is an outsider. Did you consider yourself an outsider, too?

Growing up, we moved around a lot. I was literally changing languages every three years. I needed to adapt quickly to whoever was around me, and it often came at the expense of never really knowing myself. You just had to quickly read the society. The language. The gestures. You had to decode quickly in order to fit in.

Even as an adult, I was not fully settled into a point of view until my 40s. That was maybe the allure of acting — getting to show a little bit of my insides through acting. It’s finding out who you might be.

DAMASCUS: Syria’s civil aviation sector is moving beyond the restoration of suspended international routes toward a broader rebuilding of its air transport network, with foreign airlines returning, regional airports reopening and projects underway to expand capacity and connectivity.

After years of disruption and limited international services, Arab, regional and European carriers have gradually restored flights to Syria, initially through Damascus and Aleppo international airports. The recovery has since extended eastward, with Deir Ezzor International Airport returning to service and Qamishli International Airport nearing reopening.

Air traffic through Syrian airspace has also increased sharply, while airport expansion projects and new aviation ventures point to a wider revival of the sector.

International airlines return

One of the early signs of recovery came in March 2025, when Aleppo International Airport reopened after rehabilitation work. Royal Jordanian operated a test flight to the airport on March 23 to assess security and safety ahead of resuming regular services following a 14-year interruption.

European carriers followed. Romania’s Dan Air resumed flights to Syria on June 15, while Air Mediterranean operated a flight to Damascus from Austria and Greece on June 30.

Gulf carriers also restored connections. Air Arabia returned to Damascus from Sharjah on July 10, followed six days later by Emirates, which resumed flights after a 13-year interruption.

The first Emirates flight carried 286 passengers, including UAE Minister of Sports Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi. The carrier announced three weekly Damascus-Dubai services, restoring a route that had carried nearly 2.5 million passengers between its launch in 1988 and suspension in 2012.

The expansion accelerated in 2026. AJet restored Istanbul-Aleppo flights in April, followed by Pegasus Airlines in June. Etihad Airways began scheduled Abu Dhabi-Damascus flights on June 14, while Jazeera Airways launched Kuwait-Aleppo service later that month.

Traffic through Syrian airspace surges

The recovery has been reflected in air traffic over Syria.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport said the number of aircraft transiting Syrian airspace rose from 32 in March, after the airspace was closed amid regional tensions, to 2,523 in April.

The increase coincided with the resumption of operations by 12 international airlines through Damascus and Aleppo airports.

Authorities have also focused on restoring direct air links with Europe through coordination with international aviation organizations on safety and operational requirements.

On July 2, the first Syrian Airlines flight from Amsterdam arrived at Damascus International Airport, launching a service three times a week. The airline said the route was the first in a series of international destinations planned for the carrier.

Air Arabia restored daily Sharjah-Aleppo flights on July 4 after an interruption of about 12 years, while Flydubai announced daily services to Aleppo beginning July 20.

Kuwait Airways also returned to Damascus in July.

On July 29, the first LEAV Aviation flight from Düsseldorf arrived at Damascus International Airport, opening the first regular air service between Syria and Germany in 14 years.

The flight followed a final air transport agreement signed by the Syrian and German governments on July 16. The agreement includes services from four German airports operated by two German airlines.

Aleppo prepares for major expansion

Aleppo International Airport reached another milestone Aug. 1 when it received inaugural flights from three international airlines in a single day: Türkiye’s SunExpress, Germany’s LEAV Aviation and Saudi Arabia’s Flynas.

The development underscored the accelerating recovery of Syrian civil aviation and growing confidence among international carriers.

Authorities are also preparing to expand the airport’s capacity. Development work at the existing Aleppo airport is scheduled to begin in early 2027, with annual passenger capacity expected to exceed 2 million.

The project aims to improve operational efficiency, technical capabilities and passenger services while preparations continue for a new Aleppo International Airport.

The plans followed talks in Jeddah from Sept. 7 to 10 between a Syrian civil aviation delegation and Saudi Arabia’s Elaf Investment Fund, led by Bin Dawood Investment Group.

The agreement covers development and operation of the existing airport and construction of a new international facility. The new airport is planned in stages, with initial capacity of about 6 million passengers annually eventually rising to 12 million.

The project also includes financing for an integrated navigation radar system covering Syrian airspace.

Aviation recovery extends eastward

The expansion is no longer limited to Damascus and Aleppo.

Deir Ezzor International Airport returned to service Aug. 5 after rehabilitation work and years of suspension. Syrian Airlines resumed flights from Damascus, while Jazeera Airways launched regular direct Kuwait-Deir Ezzor service Aug. 8. A World Food Programme flight arrived two days later as humanitarian air operations resumed.

On Sept. 1, German carrier LEAV Aviation operated its first direct flight from Cologne to Deir Ezzor, becoming the first European carrier to provide scheduled service to the airport.

Authorities said three additional regional destinations were being prepared, with technical teams expected to inspect airport equipment, infrastructure and safety and security procedures.

Qamishli International Airport is also nearing reopening as rehabilitation work enters its final stages. The project, which began Feb. 25, is expected to help reconnect Hasakah province and the wider eastern region with Syria’s national air transport network.

New aviation ventures

New aviation projects are emerging alongside the restoration of existing routes.

During a visit to Riyadh on Sept. 7, Syrian aviation officials met Flynas CEO Bandar Almohanna to review implementation of an agreement establishing “flynas Syria” and discuss expanding aviation cooperation between Syria and Saudi Arabia.

The meeting followed talks between Syrian and Saudi aviation authorities on boosting air traffic and coordination.

In February, the two sides signed an agreement to establish “nas Syria” as a new low-cost airline as part of a broader package of Syrian-Saudi commercial agreements.

Authorities are also planning to convert Mezzeh Airport in Damascus from a military facility into an airport for limited civilian operations, mainly serving private and executive aviation.

Preliminary work includes rubble removal and upgrades to air navigation infrastructure, while technical, operational, environmental and regulatory studies are underway. The airport is expected to complement Damascus International Airport.

Reconnecting Syrians and supporting the economy

The restoration of air routes is facilitating family reunification after years of separation and reducing reliance on costly indirect flights and transit connections for Syrians living in Europe and the Gulf.

The expanding network is also expected to strengthen links between expatriates and their homeland and facilitate the return of skilled professionals.

Economically, improved air connectivity could support trade, investment and tourism while strengthening Damascus and Aleppo as regional economic centers. Plans for Aleppo airport also envisage increased passenger and cargo traffic and greater support for industrial and commercial activity in northern Syria.

The revival has coincided with closer aviation cooperation with Arab and European countries, including the air transport agreement with Germany and expanding coordination with Saudi Arabia.

From restoring routes to rebuilding a network

From only a handful of flights in early 2025 to more than a dozen international airlines operating through Damascus and Aleppo by mid-2026, Syria’s aviation network has undergone a marked transformation.

Routes now connect Syria with Türkiye, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Austria and Romania.

At the same time, Aleppo is preparing for major capacity expansion, Deir Ezzor has returned to domestic and international service, Qamishli is nearing reopening, Mezzeh is being considered for limited civilian operations and a new low-cost airline venture is under development.

What began as the restoration of routes suspended for years is developing into a broader rebuilding of Syria’s aviation network, reconnecting its provinces, linking Syrians abroad with their homeland and expanding the country’s connections to regional and international air transport networks.

Tyler Shough threw an incomplete pass in the end zone on a two-point conversion attempt, allowing the Lions to escape with a 31-30 win in overtime over the New Orleans Saints in Detroit on Sunday.

Saints coach Kellen Moore chose to go for the win instead of tying the game with 1:34 left in overtime after his team came back from a three-touchdown deficit in the third quarter and allowed a touchdown on the opening possession of the extra period.

Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown, the second score a five-yard throw early in overtime, and Jahmyr Gibbs ran for two touchdowns.

New Orleans rallied from a 21-0 deficit and pulled into a 24-all tie on Shough’s nine-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson with 1:07 left in the game.

Detroit went three-and-out on offense, giving the Saints the ball with a chance to win it and Ryan Wright missed a 62-yard field-goal attempt as time expired.

Gibbs had a career-high 29 carries for 156 yards. He also had five catches for 30 yards.

Goff was 26 of 39 for 206 yards without a turnover.

at Bengals 33, Buccaneers 27: Cincinnati’s new-look defense forced four turnovers — including its first fumble recovery for a touchdown since 2022 — and Joe Burrow passed for 254 yards and a touchdown during a victory over Tampa Bay. Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield surrendered three fumbles during the loss.

Jets 23, at Titans 10: Breece Hall ran for 102 yards and a touchdown, Geno Smith threw for 215 yards and New York defeated Tennessee. The Jets never trailed and held the ball for just over 38 minutes. Cam Ward was 19 of 32 passing for 140 yards and a late touchdown toss.

Ravens 41, at Colts 23: Derrick Henry ran for three touchdowns to move into third on the NFL’s career list, Lamar Jackson threw for 324 yards and a TD and rushed for a score and Baltimore beat Indianapolis. Jesse Minter won his debut as the Ravens’ coach.

at Steelers 20, Falcons 13: T.J. Watt returned an interception of Cooper Rush 35 yards for a touchdown to help Pittsburgh secure a win over visiting Atlanta. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers passed for 221 yards and a touchdown. Rush, who was filling in for the injured Tua Tagovailoa, threw for a touchdown and a pair of interceptions that Pittsburgh turned into scores.

Bears 59, at Panthers 37: Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards and two more scores as Chicago defeated Carolina in the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history.

at Jaguars 34, Browns 10: Trevor Lawrence threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns, helping Jacksonville spoil the debut of new Cleveland coach Todd Monken. Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson threw an interception on the opening drive.

Bills 36, at Texans 31: Josh Allen threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Palmer with 1:36 remaining to lift Buffalo past host Houston during a back-and-forth season opener. Allen had 334 yards passing with two touchdowns and ran for two more scores. The Texans had a chance to win in the closing seconds, but Greg Rousseau earned his second strip sack of the day, taking down C.J. Stroud at the Buffalo 28.

at Eagles 24, Commanders 22: Jalen Hurts passed for 203 yards and three touchdowns, helping Philadelphia edge Washington. Jayden Daniels passed for 164 yards and two touchdowns, but the Philadelphia defense stuffed a late Commanders two-point conversion attempt to seal the win.

at Vikings 39, Packers 22: Kyler Murray suffered a hit to the head on a run play in the first quarter and was placed in concussion protocol. Carson Wentz replaced Murray and passed for three touchdowns and Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones Sr. added two more rushing scores to help the Vikings beat the Packers.

at Raiders 27, Dolphins 13: Kirk Cousins passed for 160 yards and three touchdowns, helping Las Vegas beat Miami. Both teams were scoreless in the fourth quarter, with the Raiders doing just enough to overcome two Cousins interceptions.

Niamey, Niger – The failed mutiny in Niger has shown the extent to which President Abdourahamane Tiani now relies on Russian support when his government comes under threat, including from within his own security forces.

On August 29, soldiers calling themselves the Armed Forces for the Restoration of the Homeland attacked Air Base 101 at Niamey’s international airport, the presidential palace and the national broadcaster in a coordinated assault. A statement circulated during the fighting falsely declared that Tchiani had been removed.

Loyalist presidential guard units held the palace overnight, while about 200 Russian Africa Corps soldiers, backed by drones and reportedly reinforced from Mali and Libya, helped retake the airbase by evening. At least 27 people were killed, and about 100 mutineers were arrested.

The mutiny showed who Tchiani could rely on when his own security forces turned against him. Nigerien troops held the presidential palace, while Russian personnel and equipment helped loyalist forces retake the key airbase.

A fractured army

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Ryan Cummings, head analyst at Signal Risk, said the attempted mutiny was rooted in grievances that had been building inside the military.

“The insurrection indicates discord within the Nigerien armed forces,” he said. “This stems from multiple sources. The foremost pertains to significant casualties being inflicted against the country’s military by an array of non-state armed actors which appear to be as well equipped, if not better, than their military counterparts.”

Cummings pointed to a widening gap between soldiers fighting on the front lines and those protecting the country’s political leadership.

“Other factors include discrepancies in deployment and remuneration between low- to middle-ranking officers, who led the attempted mutiny and putsch, versus their more senior counterparts, such as the presidential guard who thwarted the coup attempt,” he said.

“Junior to middle-ranking soldiers are generally deployed to conflict front lines, where they face well-equipped and increasingly professional militant units that are capable of overrunning their positions,” Cummings noted. “Conversely, more senior military units, most notably the presidential guard, are deployed to garrisoned cities such as Niamey and Agadez, where the threat of engagement is generally lower. Despite facing a lower risk profile, senior military units generally enjoy significantly higher remuneration than their low- to middle-rank counterparts.”

The mutiny exposed the gap between soldiers fighting on the front lines and those serving in better-protected units in the capital.

Russia’s role grows

Tchiani expelled French and American troops in 2023 and 2024, and troops from Russia’s Africa Corps entered Niger as the military government sought to replace Western support.

But the mutiny showed that Moscow’s role now goes beyond helping Niger fight armed groups.

When soldiers inside Niger’s own military threatened the government, Russian personnel and equipment helped loyalist forces retake Air Base 101. The episode showed that Russia’s role in Niger now extends beyond the fight against armed groups to helping protect the military government itself.

That is a significant shift from how the partnership was initially presented to Nigeriens: as a way to strengthen the fight against armed groups after the departure of Western forces.

For Tchiani, that reliance on Moscow comes as he faces continued attacks by armed groups and growing discontent among soldiers fighting them.

A test for the AES alliance

The response from Niger’s fellow military leaders also raised questions about how much help the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) can provide when one of its members is under serious pressure.

According to Romane Dideberg, a research analyst at Chatham House’s Africa Programme, the response was one of the most revealing aspects of the rebellion.

“What the security response says about the cohesion of the Alliance of Sahel States might be one of the most telling elements of the mutiny,” she said. “As with the April attacks in Mali, the two other Sahelian juntas remained largely unreactive during this existential moment for the Nigerien junta, reacting only once the mutiny was neutralised.”

“This partly reflects the operational shortcomings of the confederation’s security architecture, but also, more critically, the sensitive relations between Tchiani’s junta and his Malian and Burkinabe counterparts,” she said.

Dideberg said Tchiani was rumoured not to have reached out to Mali. She also pointed to a generational and cultural gap between Tchiani and his Sahelian allies, saying his government showed more continuity with the former establishment while a different rationale had underpinned the coup that brought him to power.

The mutiny tested how far the three miltary governments were prepared, and able, to come to one another’s aid.

The UAE allegations

Alongside the Russian role, allegations have emerged that French and Emirati interests were connected to the mutiny, amid wider friction over Niger’s Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline project.

The allegations have not been independently substantiated.

Roger Gabriel, a Nigerien army captain and commander of the elite 1st Parachute Battalion, appeared on state television on September 4 and alleged that several people, including associates of deposed President Mohamed Bazoum and officers from Chad, Benin and the Ivory Coast, were behind the attack.

He also said people from the United Arab Emirates had called and urged him to join the mutiny.

The claims are difficult to independently verify, but they have put fresh attention on the UAE’s growing presence in the Sahel.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Hossamaldeen Ibrahim, an Africa analyst at the Bloomsbury Intelligence and Security Institute (BISI), said the possibility of Emirati involvement “cannot be dismissed” given the information circulating and the UAE’s broader regional activity.

“The UAE has been expanding its influence across the Sahel, from the western states to Sudan, primarily through official partnerships with military regimes, but also via informal networks, resource extraction, notably gold, and ties to non-state actors including separatist groups when needed,” he said.

“Its approach is pragmatic and dual-track: it prioritises formal state-level relations first, then pivots to alternative channels if the official path falters,” Ibrahim said.

“All of this is deeply political and strategic, interlinked with ambitions to secure leverage over Mediterranean and Red Sea routes. The growing friction with Algeria underscores how these moves are widely read in the region as an effort to reshape the balance of influence, making any allegations around the recent events in Niger worth careful scrutiny rather than either exaggeration or dismissal,” he said.

For now, the allegations remain allegations.

Tchiani survived the mutiny, but the failed attempt to remove him exposed strains inside his military, highlighted his growing reliance on Russia, and raised questions about how much help his closest regional allies can provide when he needs it.

For Dideberg, the implications go beyond the failed attempt to unseat Tchiani.

“This mutiny calls the effectiveness, but also, to an extent, the sincerity, of the mutual assistance pact into question,” she said.

Changeable autumnal conditions are set to continue through this coming week, with spells of wetter and windier weather developing at times.

Monday will bring a short-lived burst of warmth and sunshine before temperatures drop to levels more typical for September later in the week.

A strengthening jet stream will bring deeper, low-pressure systems as the week goes on, with the potential for minor disruption towards next weekend.

Higher pressure looks set to build again for the end of the month, but prospects of a late-September heatwave remain uncertain.

MODEL Bella Hadid gives fans a lift as she grabs some dumbbells for a gym workout.

The US beauty, 29, showed off her physique in a black crop top and grey shorts for high-end athletics brand Alo, a favourite among celebrities.

In another shot she stretched out in black shorts and matching cutout top.

Displaying her toned biceps, she said: “Health is wealth, baby!”

Earlier in the year, the newly-single model put her ex behind her in a mini denim playsuit.

The star was promoting her latest collection with Miss Sixty.

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She had said she was keen to work with the denim brand because she lives in jeans when she isn’t working.

Bella explained: “I love denim. When I’m not working, it’s always jeans, my belt with my buckle on it, and a button-down (shirt).”

It follows her split from cowboy tycoon Adan Banuelos, 37, at the beginning of the year.

Bella and Adan had been saddled up together since October 2024, after being spotted on a date in Fort Worth, Texas.

He said of Bella last year: “I didn’t know God made ’em like that.”

Hadid made a dramatic hair change a year ago when she swapped her signature brunette hair for a bright shade of platinum.

She recently appeared in FX horror series The Beauty.

Viewers were left shocked as her character met a grisly end in an opening scene.

WAUSAU, Wis. — U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee for Wisconsin governor, wiped away tears and laughed while sharing how thankful he was Sunday to survive a harrowing late-night emergency landing into a lake of the small plane he was riding in.

The pilot “said we are going down,” Tiffany told reporters at a downtown Wausau firehouse. “‘Pull your seat belt tight.’ I gave it a yank and pulled it good and tight. It was probably about 10 seconds later … we hit the water.”

Tiffany said he and the pilot, Leonard Boltz, remained on top of the plane in Lake Wausau until it began sinking. They decided on swimming to shore. He said they swam about 100 to 150 feet until they reached water shallow enough to stand in.

“We’re really fortunate that God was looking after us last night,” said Tiffany, 68.

The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the emergency landing happened just before 9 p.m. Saturday. Boltz called 911 after the pair got out of the plane. They were rescued by emergency responders in a fire department airboat just after 9 p.m.

“The gravity of this is probably just hitting me at this point,” Tiffany said Sunday. “We were making jokes every step of the way last night. Though we knew it was a serious situation, we tried to keep it light through the whole thing.”

David Crowley, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, wished Tiffany a “quick recovery” in a post on X and lauded the “heroism of the pilot.”

Tiffany said he was returning from the La Crosse County Lincoln Day Dinner when the single-engine, four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport.

Tiffany said he had a cut above his right eye that required 12 stitches. Boltz, who Tiffany said is a retired Air Force pilot, also suffered cuts and received four stitches.

Tiffany said the incident will not affect his gubernatorial campaign.

A no-wake buoy was placed near the plane, which remained in the lake, and boaters were asked to avoid the area until the aircraft can be removed, the sheriff’s office said.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said the agency would investigate the incident. A National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said that agency is waiting for the FAA to assess the plane as to whether the damage was substantial enough for it to get involved.

BEIJING: Oil prices jumped more than two percent on Monday, after new Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and Iranian attacks on ships in the Gulf compounded supply concerns following the closure of a key Saudi oil pipeline.

Brent crude futures rose $2.90, or 2.77 percent, to $107.51 per barrel as of 2313 GMT. WTI futures rose $2.27, or 2.27 percent, to $102.32 per barrel. Prices had initially risen more than ‌3 percent at market ‌open.

Saudi Arabian state media on Sunday released ​video ‌footage of ⁠damage to ​homes ⁠and a mosque from what it said was a Houthi attack on the country’s southern Jazan province. The Houthis said they had also struck a Saudi military base in a neighboring province.

A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a projectile, causing a fire and forcing the crew to be evacuated, the British maritime security agency UKMTO said on Sunday.

Iran said one person was killed ⁠and four crew wounded aboard an Iranian commercial vessel struck ‌off its coast.

Oil prices had been ‌expected to rise on Monday amid growing concerns about ​risks to supply from Saudi Arabia, ‌the world’s largest oil exporter, whose East-West oil pipeline was shut on Friday ‌by a drone strike that originated in Iraq.

The loss of the pipeline, which helped Saudi Arabia re-route its exports avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, threatens up to 4 percent of global oil supply.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis had reached the strategic island of Perim on ‌Friday, moving to tighten their control over the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, another key oil transit lane that has been shipping ⁠4-5 percent of ⁠global supply in recent months.

Oil surged 8 percent higher on the week due to the disruptions, rising above $100 for the first time since July.

“Looking ahead, unless this week’s talks in Oman produce something operational — or the East-West pipeline is brought back online quickly — the risk is that crude oil continues to extend its gains toward the $119.48 high of early March,” IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note on Sunday.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X later on Sunday, however, that a scheduled Monday meeting in Oman between Gulf countries and Iran to discuss the Strait of Hormuz had been postponed.

No peace talks ​have been held in the ​war, launched six months ago by the United States and Israel, since an interim agreement in June collapsed after a few weeks.

Vandals spray red paint on Charlie Kirk statue days after its unveiling to mark one year since his death.

A new memorial statue of the slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has been vandalised days after it was installed outside Turning Point USA’s headquarters, the youth-focused organisation he co-founded.

Turning Point chief operating officer Tyler Bowyer said on Sunday that the bronze statue, alongside an accompanying sign, was defaced with red spray paint in Phoenix, Arizona.

“This morning we woke up to radical criminals vandalizing our Headquarters. Crossing over Charlie’s face, scratching out Jesus and the Cross & spraying red paint on his neck,” Bowyer wrote on X.

The statue was unveiled on Thursday to mark one year since Kirk’s death. Kirk, a co-founder of Turning Point and staunch ally of US President Donald Trump, was fatally shot while speaking to students at Utah Valley University.

The man accused of killing Kirk, Tyler Robinson, faces a possible death penalty after pleading not guilty to murder charges earlier this month.

Phoenix police said they received calls on Sunday morning about a vandalised memorial outside Turning Point’s headquarters.

Turning Point accused the vandals of intentionally spraying the statue’s neck, the spot where Kirk was shot in the attack, which was captured on video.

“We will restore the statue and replace the signs, but we are also reviewing the footage of the incident and are working with law enforcement to identify who did this and hold them accountable,” Turning Point said in a post on X.