continues

Gaza residents say they fear a return to Israel’s full-scale bombing as they struggle to find food, water and medicine.

Hong Kong Open – third round

-20 T McKibbin (NI); -19 MJ Maguire (US); -18 P Uihlein (US); -17 K Aphibarnrat (Tha), S Hend (Aus); -16 C Howell (US), L Oosthuizen (SA).

Selected others: -9 S Horsfield (Eng), P Reed (US); -8 T Gooch (US); -5 P Casey (Eng).

Full leaderboard, external

Tom McKibbin strengthened his bid to qualify for next year’s Masters and Open Championship with a third-round 65 as he continued to lead the Hong Kong Open.

After opening the tournament with a course record of 60 and carding a second-round 65, McKibbin registered one bogey and two birdies in the opening four holes of day three in Fanling.

The 22-year-old would add another birdie on the 12th before consecutive birdies on hole 16 and 17 took his total to 65 on the penultimate day.

The winner of the event will qualify for the 2026 Masters, while the highest-placed non-exempt player who makes the cut will earn a place at the 154th Open.

The Northern Ireland native is attempting to qualify for next year’s Masters for the first time, and the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July.

McKibbin’s lead over M.J. Maguire was reduced to one after 54 holes, with Peter Uihlein two shots behind and Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Scott Hend three off the pace.

Israeli strikes on Gaza this week have killed more than 100 people following the killing of an Israeli soldier, but the shaky ceasefire continues to hold.

Palestinians returning to their homes in Gaza are facing danger from unexploded ordnance, with at least 53 people killed and hundreds injured by explosives.

The ongoing government shutdown continues to disrupt flights at times and put pressure on air traffic controllers, who are working without pay.

On Friday evening, airports in Phoenix, Houston and San Diego were reporting delays because of staffing issues, and the Federal Aviation Administration warned that staffing problems were also possible at airports in the New York area, Dallas and Philadelphia.

A day earlier, flights were delayed at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, New Jersey’s Newark airport and Washington’s Reagan National Airport because of air traffic controller shortages. The number of flight delays for any reason nationwide surged to 6,158 Thursday after hovering around 4,000 a day earlier in the week, according to FlightAware.com.

Many FAA facilities are so critically short on controllers that just a few absences can cause disruptions, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said that more air traffic controllers have been calling in sick since the shutdown began. Early on in the shutdown, there were a number of disruptions at airports across the country, but for the last couple of weeks there haven’t been as many problems.

Duffy said the disruptions and delays will only get worse next week after Tuesday’s payday arrives and “their paycheck is going to be a big fat zero.” He said controllers are telling him they are worried about how to pay their bills and frustrated with the shutdown.

“The stress level that our controllers are under right now, I think is unacceptable,” he said at a news conference Friday at Philadelphia International Airport.

The shutdown is having real consequences, as some students at the controller academy have decided to abandon the profession because they don’t want to work in a job they won’t be paid for, Duffy said.

That will only make it harder for the FAA to hire enough controllers to eliminate the shortage, since training takes years. He said that the government is only a week or two away from running out of money to pay students at the academy.

“We’re getting word back right now from our academy in Oklahoma City that some of our young controllers in the academy and some who have been given spots in the next class of the academy are bailing. They’re walking away,” Duffy said. “They’re asking themselves, ‘Why do I want to go into a profession where I could work hard and have the potential of not being paid for my services?’ ”

The head of the air traffic controllers union, Nick Daniels, joined Duffy. He said that some controllers have taken on second jobs delivering for DoorDash or driving for Uber to help them pay their bills.

“As this shutdown continues, and air traffic controllers are not paid for the vital work that they do day in and day out, that leads to an unnecessary distraction,” Daniels said. “They cannot be 100% focused on their jobs, which makes this system less safe. Every day that this shutdown continues, tomorrow we’ll be less safe than today.”

Airlines and airports across the country have started buying controllers meals and helping them connect with food banks and other services to get through the shutdown.

The greatest concern is for new controllers who might make less than $50,000, but even experienced controllers who make well over six figures while working six days a week may be living paycheck to paycheck without much cushion in their budgets. Daniels said it’s not fair that controllers are facing impossible choices about whether to pay for rent or child care or groceries.

Duffy has said that air traffic controllers who abuse their sick time during the shutdown could be fired.

Republicans and Democrats have been unable to reach an agreement to end the shutdown that began on Oct. 1. Democrats are demanding steps be taken to avoid soaring healthcare premiums for many Americans set to take effect under the GOP spending law adopted this summer. Republicans have said they will negotiate only after ending the shutdown.

The airlines and major unions across the industry have urged Congress to make a deal to end the shutdown.

Air Line Pilots Assn. President Capt. Jason Ambrosi said in a message to his members that he’s concerned about air traffic controllers and other federal employees.

“The safety of millions of passengers and tens of thousands of tons of cargo is in the hands of these workers. Worrying about how they’ll make their mortgage payment or pay for day care is an added stress they do not need,” Ambrosi said.

Democrats have called on Republicans to negotiate an end to the shutdown. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, put the onus on Democrats.

“Our aviation system has operated safely throughout the shutdown, but it’s putting an incredible and unnecessary strain on the system, and on our air traffic controllers, flight crews, and many other aviation professionals,” Graves said.

Funk writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Rio Yamat contributed to this report.

It has been a week since the ceasefire was announced in Gaza. When we heard the news in the occupied West Bank, we celebrated. We felt relief and hope that the genocide is finally over. But we also realised that there is no ceasefire for us.

The daily violence we have been subjected to for decades is showing no signs of abating. Since October 7, 2023, the brutality of our occupier has only intensified. Today, life in the West Bank has become almost impossible.

Violence, dispossession and paralysis

After the ceasefire deal was announced, a friend’s little daughter cheered; she then asked to go with her grandparents to pick olives. He told her that it would be difficult to do, to which she responded, “Why? Isn’t the war over?”

How do you explain to a child that the war ending in Gaza does not mean Palestinian families in the West Bank still can access their land to harvest olives? People still cannot reach their groves because of barriers set up by the Israeli military or they fear attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers, or both.

There are daily violent assaults on Palestinian farmers and their land. Since October 7, 2023, there have been 7,154 attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestian people and property – some of them deadly.

Almost 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army and settler mobs, including 212 children; more than 10,000 Palestinians have been displaced. Settlers and soldiers have destroyed 37,237 olive trees since October 7, 2023.

Even life in urban areas has become unbearable.

As a resident of Rawabi, a city north of Ramallah, I, too, feel the suffocation of the occupation every day.

If I need to travel outside my city to run errands, shop, obtain official paperwork, or anything else, I could get stuck at a checkpoint for hours and never make it to my destination. There are four iron gates, a military tower, and a barrier between Rawabi and Ramallah; they can make the 10-minute trip between Rawabi and Ramallah last an eternity.

Throughout the West Bank, there are 916 Israeli barriers, barriers and iron gates, 243 of which were constructed after October 7, 2023. These open and close at the Israeli army’s whim, meaning a Palestinian can get stuck at one barrier for hours. This disrupts every aspect of life – from family visits to urgent medical care to school attendance and transportation of goods.

We have also been denied access to Jerusalem and thus our freedom of worship at Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Few Palestinians are given the special permits needed to enter the city. We last had access to Jerusalem more than 20 years ago. This means an entire generation of young people know nothing about the city except from the pictures and stories told by their parents and grandparents.

Even at night, the Palestinians are not left alone by the occupation. Any Palestinian home may be subject to a raid by the Israeli army, with soldiers breaking the front door, terrorising the family inside and detaining without charge some of its members. Neighbours would, too, be terrorised with Israeli soldiers firing tear gas canisters for no reason, just to cause more suffering.

The right to a normal life—to worship, to spend quality time with friends and family, to move freely, to access regular medical care and education —are all denied to the Palestinians in the West Bank.

The spectre of annexation

Over the decades since the occupation of 1967, Israel has managed to control almost half of the land of the West Bank. It has done so by constructing settlements and confiscating land from its Palestinian owners by declaring it either “state land” or “military zone”. The theft of Palestinian land accelerated after October 7; at least 12,300 acres (4,9787 hectares) were seized in two years.

In many cases, confiscated land is used to establish new settlement outposts or to expand existing settlements.

Settlement construction in the West Bank is not random. Rather, land is selected in a way that encircles Palestinian villages and towns, creating a settlement belt around them that prevents any form of geographical continuity between Palestinian territories, thus thwarting the dream of a future state.

To maintain these illegal settlements, Israel has also laid its hands on the West Bank’s natural resources. It has seized almost all water resources. This has ensured a massive water reservoir in the West Bank to serve the settlement expansion.

For the Palestinians, this has been disastrous. They are now almost completely dependent on Israeli water company “Mekorot”, which gives very small quotas of water to densely populated Palestinian areas, while settlers receive several times the Palestinian share per capita.

Every summer, when drought settles in, Palestinians are forced to buy extra water at exorbitant prices from Mekorot. Meanwhile, Palestinian wells and rain water tanks are often attacked and destroyed.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli government has accelerated its efforts to carry out annexation. We feel that the seizure of Area C – an area established by the Oslo Accords where Israel has full civilian and security control – is imminent. This would mean razing Palestinian villages and communities and expelling people towards Area A, which constitutes just 18 percent of the West Bank. Area B will follow. The process of forced expulsion has already started with Bedouin communities in the two areas.

This is our reality here in the West Bank. While peace conferences and meetings were held and peace in the Middle East is declared, we know nothing of it. Every day, every hour, every minute, we are harassed, intimidated, dispossessed and killed.

For decades, Israel has rejected political solutions and pursued a policy of controlling land, people, and resources. It has continued to wage war on us even when its bombardment has stopped. The only way to achieve true peace is to acknowledge the occupation and end it.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Despite a ceasefire deal with Israel, Palestinians across the devastated Gaza Strip continue to go hungry as food supplies remain critically low and aid fails to reach those who need it most.

As per the ceasefire agreement, Israel was supposed to allow 600 humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza per day. However, Israel has since reduced the limit to 300 trucks per day, citing delays in retrieving bodies of Israeli captives buried under the rubble by Israeli attacks.

According to the UN2720 Monitoring and Tracking Dashboard, which monitors humanitarian aid being offloaded, collected, delivered and intercepted on its way into Gaza, from October 10-16, only 216 trucks have reached their intended destinations inside Gaza.

According to truck drivers, aid deliveries are facing significant delays, with Israeli inspections taking much longer than expected.

‘Palestinians want food’

While some food aid has trickled in over the past few days, medical equipment, therapeutic nutrition and medicines are still in extremely short supply, despite being desperately needed by the most impoverished, particularly malnourished children.

Reporting from Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said some commercial trucks have entered Gaza over the past few days, but most Palestinians do not have the ability to buy any of the items they are bringing in as they have spent all of their savings in the past two years.

So far, what has arrived in the trucks includes “wheat, rice, sugar, oil, fuel and cooking gas”, she said.

While food distribution points are expected to open for parcels and other humanitarian aid, people in Gaza have yet to receive them. “Palestinians want food, they want shelter, they want medicine,” Khoudary said.

She added that even 600 trucks a day would be insufficient to meet the needs of Gaza’s entire population.

Food ‘is not a bargaining chip’

The UN humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has urged Israel to open more border crossings for humanitarian aid.

“We need more crossings open and a genuine, practical, problem-solving approach to removing remaining obstacles. Throughout this crisis, we have insisted that withholding aid from civilians is not a bargaining chip. Facilitation of aid is a legal obligation,” Fletcher said.

Since the ceasefire began, 137 World Food Programme trucks have entered Gaza as of October 14, delivering supplies to bakeries and supporting nutrition and food distribution programmes.

With the ceasefire in effect, WFP is now scaling up.

🔹137 trucks have already entered #Gaza — supporting bakeries, nutrition, and food distributions.

🔹170,000+ MT of food ready to move, enough to feed 2M people.

The goal: flood Gaza with food, fast. The ceasefire must hold. pic.twitter.com/AjKBu8rap7

— World Food Programme (@WFP) October 14, 2025

Israeli authorities continue to block UNRWA

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) – the primary and largest organisation providing aid to Palestinians – has faced significant restrictions imposed by Israel.

The agency, which was responsible for delivering food, medical care, education and emergency assistance, says it has enough food aid in warehouses in Jordan and Egypt to supply the people in Gaza for three months.

This includes food parcels for 1.1 million people and flour for 2.1 million, and shelter supplies sufficient for up to 1.3 million individuals.

However, despite the ceasefire, Israeli authorities are continuing to block them from entering.

UNRWA has enough food outside #Gaza to supply people there for three months, amid desperate need. Our teams stand ready to deliver it.

But despite the #ceasefire, the Israeli Authorities’ block on UNRWA bringing any supplies into Gaza still continues after over 7 months.

Let us… pic.twitter.com/O3fwK70d5V

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) October 16, 2025

Malnutrition among children

As of October 12, at least 463 people, including 157 children, have died from starvation amid Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. Nearly one in four children suffers from severe acute malnutrition.

After prolonged starvation, food must be reintroduced carefully under medical supervision to avoid re-feeding syndrome, a potentially fatal condition in which sudden intake of nutrients causes dangerous shifts in electrolytes, affecting the heart, nerves and muscles. A larger supply of nutritional aid, given safely, could dramatically save lives.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 90 percent of children in Gaza less than two years of age consume fewer than two food groups each day, which doesn’t include protein-rich foods.

At least 290,000 children between the ages of six months and 5 years, and 150,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women require feeding and micronutrient supplies.

In addition to this, there are an estimated 132,000 cases of children less than the age of five, and 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women projected to be suffering from acute malnutrition by June 2026, if immediate food aid isn’t made available.

THE son of Dame Deborah James has honoured her “amazing” legacy by following in her fundraising footsteps.

Hugo Bowen ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon at the weekend, smashing his target to raise £3,000 for her Bowelbabe Fund, in true Dame Debs style.

7

7

7

The 18-year-old told The Sun: “Running was something Mum and I used to do when I was younger, we often did park runs and I think I spurred her on to run a little faster.

“It was amazing, there was so much support along the route, which really helped motivate me to run harder and faster than I would have.

“It meant so much to be able to run in memory of her, and the amazing change she has inspired.”

Reflecting on the advice his running-obsessed mum would’ve given before the race, he added: “She would definitely have told me to make sure I had had a poo.

“And to ‘go smash it’, which I probably did a bit too much at the start, so I was super tired towards the end.”

Hugo was 14 years old when Dame Deborah died at the age of 40 in June 2022, five and a half years after being diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer. 

In the last weeks of her life, the Sun columnist launched her Bowelbabe Fund, aiming to raise £250,000 to help fund research into the disease to help prevent “any future Deborahs”, and give cancer patients the hope of new and better treatments.

So far, the Fund has supported more than 11 different projects, including a state-of-the-art interventional radiology machine at The Royal Marsden hospital where Deborah was treated.

Other scientific studies that have received a contribution from the Fund include one that is investigating personalised medicine for patients with bowel cancer, a cause Dame Debs was very passionate about.

And earlier this year, Deborah’s husband Seb Bowen, parents Heather and Alistair James and brother Ben James were on hand when the new Bowelbabe Lab was unveiled at The Francis Crick Institute, home to a team of scientists using ‘mini bowel tumours’ or organoids to test new and more targeted treatments.

Just days later Heather and Alistair were invited to a reception with King Charles where His Majesty hailed Deborah “an inspiration to us all, in sickness and health”.

The King went on to quote Debs parting message to her followers before she died: “Find a life worth enjoying; take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always, always have rebellious hope.”

“I’m honestly so proud of Mum and everything the Fund has done to help others,” Hugo added.

“I remember when she set it up she had a target of £250,000 and now we are at over £18million raised – it is beyond what any of us could’ve imagined.

“It’s such a beautiful legacy for my Mum and the research it is funding will save so many lives.”

Inspired by his mum, Hugo has already added another £4,300 to the Fund’s total, and thanked all those who have supported him so far.

“Everyone has been so supportive, I thought £3,000 would be a really difficult target to hit but we’ve smashed it and I’m so happy and honestly so surprised,” he added.

“I’m really grateful to everyone that has donated.”

Hugo was just the latest in the family to take on a running challenge, with Debs’ brother Ben and sister Sarah taking on the London Marathon this year – Sarah wearing the same poo emoji costume her sister was often seeing running in.

To donate to Hugo’s efforts, visit  https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/hugos-royal-parks-half.

7

7

7

7

As mediators and officials from Israel and Hamas meet in Egypt to discuss end of war, deadly Israeli attacks continue across Gaza.

Sept. 22 (UPI) — Hurricane Gabrielle is forecast to continue strengthening early Monday as it nears Bermuda, and residents are being urged to monitor forecast updates.

The storm’s center was located about 210 miles southeast of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, making it a Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, the National Hurricane Center said during its 5 a.m. AST Monday advisory.

It was moving north-northwest at 10 mph, it added.

No coastal watches or warnings were in effect, but interests in Bermuda were urged to monitor Gabrielle’s progress.

Though modeling shows the storm is expected to remain well east of the island, the swells it generates will continue to affect the island over the next few days. “Gusty winds and showers” are also possible for Bermuda on Monday as the storm passes to its east, the NHC added in a discussion.

Forecasters said the storm is expected to rapidly strengthen over the next 24 hours, with Gabrielle to become a major hurricane by Monday night.

The swells from the storm have begun to reach the U.S. eastern coast from North Carolina northward, as well as Atlantic Canada, the NHC said, adding they should continue through early this week.

“These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” it said.

Gabrielle is the seventh named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.

Last month, Erin became a Category 5 hurricane with 160-mph winds spreading over 500 miles.

Despite a difficult start to the year, Tesla (TSLA 2.27%) stock is now up by double digits in 2025. With a market cap of $1.3 trillion, however, many investors are wondering how much additional growth potential shares offer. Some analysts think that Tesla can become a $2 trillion business by the end of 2026. But there are some key risks to be aware of before loading up on Tesla stock.

Image source: Getty Images.

Tesla trades at a steep premium to Rivian and Lucid Group

The biggest risk facing Tesla right now is the stock’s premium valuation. Shares trade at a price-to-sales ratio of around 16. Other electric car stocks like Lucid Group and Rivian have stocks that trade between 3 and 7 times sales. According to this metric, Tesla trades at a 100% to 400% premium over the competition. That’s the case even though competitors like Rivian and Lucid have market caps under $20 billion, theoretically providing much longer growth runways versus Tesla’s $1.3 trillion valuation.

Of course, paying a high premium isn’t a problem if the company in question is growing fast enough to justify such a valuation. A company that trades at 16 times trailing sales, for instance, would trade at just 8 times sales one year from now if revenues grew by 100%. That is far from the case for Tesla, however.

This year, analysts expect Tesla’s sales to fall by around 5%. For comparison, Lucid and Rivian are expected to see sales grow by 61% and 6%, respectively. Next year, analysts do expect positive growth to return for Tesla, with 20% sales growth expected. But Lucid and Rivian are still expected to see higher sales growth than Tesla, with 93% and 33% expected sales growth, respectively.

So at least on a price-to-sales basis, Tesla shares trade at a hefty premium to both Lucid and Rivian even though its expected sales growth both this year and next year are below that of both companies. What’s up with that?

To be sure, competitors like Rivian and Lucid don’t have the scale or brand name recognition that Tesla does. But as mentioned, both also have arguably much more room to grow long term. The main differentiator is current or near-term growth, but long term growth potential in a new and exciting — but possibly overhyped — business segment: robotaxis.

Source: Getty Images

Robotaxis could become a $1 trillion business for Tesla

Analysts are very bullish on Tesla’s robotaxi dreams. The company launched a pilot version of its autonomous taxi service this summer in Austin, Texas. Additional cities like San Francisco may soon be on the way. Tesla CEO Elon Musk optimistically believes there could be 1 million or more Tesla robotaxi’s roaming the streets of America by the end of 2026.

How big could this business be for Tesla? Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, believes it could soon add $1 trillion to Tesla’s market cap. Cathie Wood, a high-profile, outspoken Tesla investor, believes the overall market could eventually be worth $10 trillion. Tesla is uniquely positioned to take on this market, with its large production facilities, multi-year investments in autonomous driving, and its sheer access to capital.

Even if Tesla’s robotaxi service stumbles in its first year — which many skeptics predict — the growth opportunity is clearly immense. And as mentioned, Tesla is uniquely capable of taking a leading role in this new industry. But as Reuters recently pointed out, “getting from dozens to millions of self-driving cars won’t be easy.” This should be viewed as a multi-decade opportunity for Tesla, not a near-term reality. Tesla’s bumpy rollout in Austin should be a testament to that fact.

Tesla’s stock price is reasonable for long-term investors who believe in the company’s robotaxi aspirations. But the premium is far too high for a simple EV manufacturer with smaller business segments in energy storage and generation. Tesla remains an exciting company to watch, but investors must be bullish on robotaxis over the long haul to justify a position.

Qatar is hosting Arab and Muslim leaders to plot a course of action after Israel’s ‘cowardly’ attack on Doha.

The cultural legacy of the 1984 rock-mock-doc “This Is Spinal Tap” is of sufficient amplitude that, to give the band’s guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) his knob-twiddling due, it’s gone way past 11.

Perennially quotable, ad-libbed to Brit-accented perfection by co-creators Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer and finessed into an iconic spoof by director Rob Reiner, “Spinal Tap” was born. The movie both ridiculed (and, slyly, furthered the cause for) the metal world’s idiotic excesses, but also an industry’s love of a satisfying comeback saga.

When your fake movie becomes gospel truth to admiring music legends and a pretend forgotten band goes on to play Wembley in real life, the fine line between clever and stupid (again, so quotable) suddenly looks like a rarefied space for a sequel to exploit.

Yet when the key comic minds behind that singular sendup of past-prime glory-seekers aim to rekindle their magic, “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues” leaves one thinking some classics are better left in their original, endlessly re-playable states.

Not that the sight, 40 years on, of the sweetly clueless Tufnel, McKean’s prickly frontman David St. Hubbins and Shearer’s man-of-few-blurts Derek Smalls reuniting for one last concert won’t trigger a low-wattage 83-minute-long smile. But the concept of Tap being revered (by legend cameos Paul McCartney and Elton John, no less) saps the comedy of outsider tension, making for something closer to a feature-length outtake reel than a fresh take on clownish notoriety.

There’s agreeable silliness early on in seeing where the trio has landed in their solo lives, from acknowledged retail dreamer Nigel’s cheese-and-guitar shop to the fringes of the recording world, where California-transplanted David finds himself composing phone-hold music. In these moments, you get a glimpse of the special sauce of personality delusion that Guest, as a director, turned into a mini-genre (“Waiting for Guffman,” “Best in Show,” “A Mighty Wind”). But when dead Tap manager Ian Faith’s daughter, Hope (Kerry Godliman), having inherited daddy’s contract, forces the members to gather in New Orleans for an arena show, the whole thing loses an essential oddball energy, trying to coast on a masterpiece’s fumes.

Gag encores are pitfalls. The famous drummer mortality problem is a case in point, wearing out its understandable reviving with star cameos (Questlove, Lars Ulrich) and a lackluster tryout montage. Then, after the hiring of an energetic young replacement (Valerie Franco), a humor opportunity is missed when we wonder why she isn’t pushing back on having to play songs like “Bitch School.” Even the band’s second chance at a Stonehenge showstopper is more like a joke in name only.

The three leads can still, when given room, generate an anything-can-happen vibe, even if the improvisatory pearls are in short supply. But there are quite a few instances when the promise of comedic friction is undercooked or ignored and the new strains of hinted lunacy (as when Guest regulars John Michael Higgins and Don Lake show up) never quite soar.

The funniest addition, because it feels genuinely pointed about the milieu, is Chris Addison as the band’s aggressive promoter Simon, who prides himself on being impervious to enjoying music, and tells our septuagenarian rockers that for posterity’s sake, ideally, two of them should die during the show. Thankfully, nothing in “Spinal Tap II” will kill off the original’s legacy. It’s just a nostalgia lap you wish had more 11.

JOAO PEDRO continued the brilliant start to his Chelsea career as he sent them on their way against Fulham.

Enzo Maresca‘s men went top of the Premier League table as they made it back-to-back wins.

7

7

Summer signing Pedro gave the hosts the lead with a header in the dying seconds of the first half.

The Blues‘ afternoon was made more comfortable as Enzo Fernandez converted from the spot in the 56th minute.

Fulham did have chances as defender Trevoh Chalobah seemed like a weak spot in the backline.

Here’s how SunSport reporter Jack Rosser rated the Chelsea players…

Robert Sanchez – 6

Sanchez will have been relieved that Josh King’s opening goal was ruled out, given he was made to look rather silly with the near post finish.

Other than that, however, the Spaniard had a very, very quiet afternoon with little to do after the first half scare.

Malo Gusto – 6

A couple of fine, flying challenges to stop Fulham on the counter while also supporting the winger in flying forwards whenever he can.

Given how good he can be, it feels like Reece James may take the right-back spot from Gusto soon but the Frenchman is putting forwards a good case at the moment.

SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN

Trevoh Chalobah – 5

A very difficult first half for the Blues defender.

Chalobah was lucky that VAR intervened in the build-up to Fulham’s disallowed goal after he was easily rolled by Rodrigo Muniz.

He was also easily beaten by Josh King not too long after that. Picked up in the second half.

Tosin Adarabioyo – 6

A tough battle with former Fulham teammates Muniz and Raul Jimenez a times but led the Blues back four well.

Came close to opening the scoring but could not react to get an effort on target after a corner deflected his way off of Kenny Tete.

Marc Cucurella – 6

The Spaniard was fairly untroubled throughout, keeping the danger down his side to a minimum – especially impressive after Adama Traore was thrown on to try and get Fulham back in.

As always, a ball of energy looking to cause trouble going forwards, but little joy on that front this weekend. 

Moises Caicedo – 8

7

Despite having trained just once this week since the West Ham game, Caicedo put in another stellar display.

Dominant against a hefty Fulham midfield, the Ecuador international held everything together for the Blues.

And even when the control slipped, Caicedo was there to save the day – making a superb last-ditch challenge to deny Timothy Castange what looked a certain goal minutes before the Blues opened the scoring.

Enzo Fernandez – 6

7

A bizarre afternoon for the Chelsea captain, who shushed his own fans and raged at the fitness coach at halftime.

Some sloppy play first half but stepped up and helped Chelsea gain a little more control after the break, before pulling rank and keeping his cool to convert the penalty and double the lead.

Estevao – 6

7

Another encouraging afternoon for the teenage winger.

Estevao showed his strength and power with a barge on Ryan Sessengnon in the first half, winning the ball before skipping away and past Calvin Bassey.

End product could do with some work still but plenty to be excited about.

Joao Pedro – 7

7

Another week and another goal for Pedro.

The Brazilian found space well and confidently nodded home his second Premier League goal of the season to get things rolling.

Pedro even kept his mouth shut when Enzo Fernandez wanted to claim the penalty and open his account for the campaign, giving his captain a hug for support before the spot kick.

Pedro Neto – 5

A lot of hard work for little reward.

With Alejandro Garnacho watching on and Jamie Gittens already providing competition from the bench – Neto will have to show more if he is to keep his place in the side.

Liam Delap – n/a

7

The striker suffered a huge blow as he went off injured early in the first half.

Substitutes

Tyrique George (Delap, 13′) – 5

Thrown in much earlier than expected after Delap’s early injury and asked to lead the line – not his usual position.

It was a surprise George was even turned to given talks progressing over a move to Roma.

his was not a performance that will add any more to the transfer fee as George struggled to make an impact.

Jamie Gittens (Estevao, 67′) – 6

Offered precious little from the bench, although Chelsea were more seeing out the game rather than pushing desperately for a third goal once Gittens was sent on.

Andrey Santos (George, 81′) – n/a

Reece James (Neto, 81′) – n/a

Chelsea’s transfer deals

IN

• Joao Pedro – from Brighton – £60m
• Jamie Gittens – from Dortmund – £52m
• Jorell Hato – from Ajax – £37m
• Liam Delap – from Ipswich – £30m
• Estevao – from Palmeiras – £54m
• Dario Essugo – from Sporting Lisbon – £18.5m
• Kendry Paez – from Independiente – £17.25m
• Mamadou Sarr – from Strasbourg – £12m

TOTAL – £280.75m

OUT

• Noni Madueke – to Arsenal – £52m
• Joao Felix – to Al-Nassr – £43.7m
• Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – to Everton – £30m
• Renato Veiga – to Villarreal – £26m
• Djordje Petrovic – to Bournemouth – £25m
• Lesley Ugochukwu – to Burnley – £23m
• Carney Chukwuemeka – to Dortmund £24m
• Armando Broja – to Burnley – £15m
• Bashir Humphreys – to Burnley – £10m
• Mathis Amougou – to Strasbourg – £12.5m
• Kepa Arrizabalaga – to Arsenal – £5m
• Marcus Bettinelli – to Man City – £2m

TOTAL – £268.2m

TRANSFER NEWS LIVE

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka set the platform for a US Open second-round victory over Polina Kudermetova by continuing her formidable tie-break record.

Sabalenka, 27, claimed her 17th consecutive tie-break in a 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 win in Wednesday’s night session in New York.

Being able to lock in when it mattered proved crucial once again for the world number one, who has won 10 of her past 11 matches when winning a first-set tie-break.

Taking the opener dampened her Russian opponent’s spirits and led to Sabalenka going on to break early in the second set.

Sabalenka’s service game was still a little scratchy – digging deep to save two break points before holding for 3-1 – but her level improved as she raced towards victory.

On the reason why she has been so dominant in tie-breaks this season, the three-time Grand Slam champion said: “I’m just trying to stay aggressive and fight for every point.

“I know every point can be a key moment of the set so I’m just trying to stay strong and play aggressive.”

Sabalenka is aiming to become the first player to defend the women’s singles title since Serena Williams in 2014.

Next she will face Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, who was a beaten finalist in 2021 when she lost to Britain’s Emma Raducanu.

Matthew Stafford didn’t participate in the Rams’ joint practice with the New Orleans Saints on Thursday in Carson, but the team hopes he can take meaningful steps this weekend toward a return from injury.

Stafford, who has missed the entirety of training camp because of an aggravated disc in his back, is scheduled to work out Saturday, coach Sean McVay told reporters. The workout will be similar to one Stafford had on Aug. 9 when he threw more than 60 passes, McVay said.

McVay described that workout as “awesome” and was hopeful Stafford would return to practice this week. But the 37-year-old signal-caller didn’t feel up to the task Monday and has sat out of practice this week.

“Hopefully, [his back] responds a little bit better,” McVay said.

McVay added the Rams are still “trying to get our hands around” all aspects of the injury.

“So I don’t really have much more information other than … we’re trying some different things that are hopefully going to be in alignment with getting him back out on the field.”

The Rams continue the preseason Saturday against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium at 4 p.m.

Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen took to social media on Friday to defend himself after Barcelona started disciplinary proceedings that could allow them to terminate his contract.

“In recent weeks, many things have been said about me – some of them entirely unfounded,” he wrote on Instagram. “Therefore, I feel it is necessary to express my version of events respectfully, yet clearly.”

The club started disciplinary action on Tuesday and stripped the German of the club captaincy on Thursday.

The dispute centres on the German’s fitness after he underwent back surgery at the end of July.

Local media reported earlier in the week that the 33-year-old had refused to cooperate and release his medical details, so the club tried to have him classified by La Liga as a long-term injury, which would allow Barcelona to deduct part of his pay from their official wage bill.

“I am fully willing to collaborate with the club’s management to resolve this matter and to provide the requested authorisation,” ter Stegen wrote.

With the new La Liga season approaching, Barcelona are again struggling to satisfy Spanish financial fair play rules. If they cannot, they may not be able to register new players.

Ter Stegen said if the club was in a financial bind, it should not blame his back problems.

“I would also like to clarify that all of the club’s signings and contract renewals were completed prior to my surgery,” he wrote.

“The decision to undergo surgery was fully approved by the club, and always with the intention of prioritising my health and long-term sporting career which of course are fully aligned with those of FCB to have myself available on the pitch as soon as possible to keep winning trophies.”

He added that his new surgery should not interfere with the “registration of other colleagues whom I greatly respect and look forward to share locker room with for many seasons”.

“My commitment to these colours remains absolute.”

Ter Stegen’s place is under threat from one of the summer signings, 24-year-old Joan Garcia, as well as 35-year-old Wojciech Szczesny, the Polish veteran who has been rewarded with a contract extension for taking over during last season’s La Liga title-winning campaign.

If the club pursues its disciplinary action, ter Stegen, the last remaining member of Luis Enrique’s 2015 European champion team, could face heavy penalties under La Liga regulations, including the termination of his contract.

Lewandowski hit by more hamstring problems

Robert Lewandowski, meanwhile, will miss Barcelona’s friendly match on Sunday because of a hamstring problem, the Catalan club said Friday.

Barcelona will host Italian club Como in the traditional curtain-raising Joan Gamper Trophy game before its La Liga campaign starts on August 16, against Mallorca.

“The striker is unavailable for Sunday’s game and his recovery will determine his return,” the team said in a statement.

Lewandowski scored 42 goals total in 52 appearances last season to help Barcelona win the La Liga title. His 27 league goals were second only to Kylian Mbappe’s 31.

The 36-year-old Poland international is beginning his fourth season at Barcelona.

Hansi given the flick by UEFA

There was also bad news on Friday for Barcelona manager Hansi Flick and his assistant Marcus Sorg. The pair have been fined 20,000 euros ($23,320) each and banned for one match in UEFA club competitions for misconduct, the European football governing body’s disciplinary committee said.

Flick had been furious at several refereeing decisions in his side’s 4-3 semifinal loss to Inter Milan in May that stopped them from reaching their first Champions League final in a decade.

The sanctions will take immediate effect, ruling both men out of the dugout for the start of this season’s Champions League.

In a separate decision, UEFA fined Barcelona forwards Lamine Yamal and Lewandowski 5,000 euros ($5,820) each for failing to comply with instructions from an antidoping officer and not immediately reporting to a control post at the same game.

Barcelona were also fined 5,250 euros ($6,111) over fans throwing objects and 2,500 euros ($2,910) for lighting fireworks during the match. Inter were fined 22,000 euros ($25,608) for their supporters’ blocking public passageways and another 11,500 euros ($13,386) for lighting fireworks.

Khan Younes, Gaza – A dear companion doesn’t have to be human to be deeply missed when lost.

Sometimes, it’s a phone – a loyal witness to your joys and sorrows, your moments of sweetness and darkest chapters of pain.

In the harshness of life in the world’s largest open-air prison, it becomes more than a device. It’s an extension of yourself; your portal to the world, your way of reaching loved ones scattered across the prison or outside it.

Through its lens, you sometimes capture joy and beauty, but more often, it only captures falling rockets or the rubble of houses covering the corpses of their residents.

But what are you left with when that loyal companion is disappeared by the genocidal chaos?

My phone succumbed to its injuries

My phone succumbed to its injuries.

I can’t believe I’m describing it this way, with the same phrase I use when reporting on thousands of my people killed after being denied urgent medical treatment, punished simply for surviving Israeli bombs.

But in its own way, my phone endured its share of this prolonged Israeli cruelty, the technocide of power-starvation, corrosion by dust and sand, suffocation in overheated tents, and the constant torment of poor connection.

It tried to hold on, but everyone has a limit of endurance. It fell the day we left our damaged home for our 14th displacement amid chaotic stampeding crowds.

Somehow it survived the heavy blow, but it only lasted 70 days after its screen cracked, its body blistered, until its wounds spread too far to bear.

And then it went dark for good.

Oddly, I felt consoled. Not because it wasn’t painful, but because I wasn’t alone. I’ve seen the same happen to others: Friends, relatives watching their phones slowly perish, just like the people they loved.

Strangely, we find comfort in these small shared losses. Our loved ones have perished, and our wellbeing is shattering, and yet we expect our phones not to. The real miracle is that they lasted this long at all.

Smartphone addiction is thrown around as a buzzword. But in Gaza, if you’re lucky enough to still have one, it’s not an addiction, it is survival.

It’s an escape. A small, glowing portal you cling to. It helps you slip briefly into the past, scrolling through memories, staring at the faces of loved ones who are now names on graves or names you still whisper in hope.

Your phone’s emotionless memory still holds their beautiful smiles. It connects you to people you can’t reach, voices you can’t otherwise hear. It dulls the pain not by healing it, but by distracting you.

Like a hunger you can’t satisfy, so you scroll through reels of mouth-watering food, mocking your emptiness.

You watch strangers at family dinners while your table is buried under rubble. You wonder, how dare they post such scenes, knowing that children are being starved to death a few kilometres away? And yet you keep scrolling, because for a moment, it’s a brutal soothing sedative.

‘Are you alive?’

When you’re someone who reports daily on the ongoing genocide to the world, finding a new companion becomes an inevitable must. Yet the quest is disastrous in Gaza.

You might think it’s impossible to find one here, where life has become ruins and even bread is scarce, but surprisingly, there are plenty of options, even the latest high-end brands that somehow found their way through the blockade.

But this is Gaza, where a bag of flour costs $700, so the cost of a phone is on a whole different level.

Even the lowest-quality phones in makeshift shops sell for more than what it costs to build the shop itself, inflated by genocidal conditions.

And it doesn’t stop there. You must pay in cash, in a place where almost nothing is free except the air you breathe.

An iPhone might cost $1,000 elsewhere, but here it costs $4,200.

So you turn to cheaper options, hoping for something more affordable, but the calculations remain the same.

But that’s not me – because either way, by spending such unthinkable amounts, you’re solidifying the very reality your captors are trying to impose, and doing it with your own money.

You realise that you’re feeding into their design. We’re already draining whatever’s left in our pockets just for flour during this genocidal siege, and we don’t know how long it will last.

So you cling to what you have, to avoid paying your soul at a GHF centre for deadly “aid” you’ll never get.

For a while now, I’ve felt paralysed, a helplessness especially familiar during June’s two-week total communication blackout imposed by Israel – during which my phone finally died in total silence.

When the captor cuts yet another lifeline, it’s more than just being unable to check on loved ones. It means ambulances can’t be called. It means a wounded person might die in the dark, unheard.

It’s like someone is out there, cruelly deciding when you’re allowed to contact the world or to be contacted, to receive the now-typical: “Are you alive?”

There’s a cruel irony in Israel issuing expulsion orders online even as it cuts off the networks people in Gaza need to receive them. You only find out when you see thousands flooding the streets, the earth trembling beneath their feet from Israeli attacks.

The hand that controls your digital lifeline is the same one that’s been blockading and colonising your land for years.

And you realise, with certainty, that if they could block the very air you breathe, they would not hesitate.

So, you rise

There are still moments when, instinctively, I reach out to call someone or check something – but my hand touches nothing.

My companion is gone. I remain phoneless, helpless under blockade, both digital and physical.

And then, you start to compare your shackles to the abundance your captors enjoy, genociding you with full access to every technological privilege, every luxury.

You, on the other hand, are being hunted down with the world’s most advanced weapons, under the watchful eye and silent complicity of the tech giants whose tools are backing your erasure.

While they use satellites and precision-guided missiles, you just want to tell the world you’re still here.

How vital your lost companion was. It wasn’t just a phone. It was your sword, your shield, your witness.

And in the face of this tyranny, surrendering is something you cannot afford. So, you rise.

You whisper, “Rest in power, my companion,” because we refuse to be slaughtered in silence.

We will keep telling our truth, even if all we have left is a scrap of paper and a drop of ink.

Birmingham Airport’s runway was shut down for about six hours on Wednesday afternoon and evening, delaying thousands of passengers and leading many planes to divert

Birmingham Airport is still dealing with the knock‑on impact of an emergency landing that closed its runway on Wednesday afternoon.

At 1.40 pm a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, with three people on board, began to experience issues with its landing gear. The pilot aborted the journey to Belfast and turned back to Birmingham for a bumpy landing, which saw it collapse onto its undercarriage on the tarmac.

Emergency services rushed to the scene, whisking the two crew members and one passenger away from the wreckage. Thankfully, they were not injured. The runway was immediately closed following the crash landing, leading to dozens of flights both to and from the airport being cancelled and delayed. Thousands of passengers in Birmingham, across the UK and internationally were disrupted. The incident at Birmingham came after a union in Spain announced its Ryanair workers would strike at 12 airports in the coming weeks.

READ MORE: Family’s holiday Greece nightmare as ‘icky tummy’ becomes sepsisREAD MORE: Spanish town installs ‘detectors’ to track Brits while they are on holiday

Newly emerged footage from the scene shows the white light aircraft collapsed on the runway, its nose tilted down towards the tarmac. It is surrounded by emergency service vehicles and personnel. The incident is now being investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

Live departure and arrival boards highlight the knock‑on impact of the runway closure, which was only lifted at 8 pm last night, meaning six hours of the flight schedule were missed.

Delays this morning include a four‑hour wait for a TUI flight to Keffalinia, a three‑hour wait for Lanzarote and a three‑hour wait to Zakynthos. A handful of arrivals have also been bumped down the schedule. The 6am KLM flight to Amsterdam this morning was cancelled because the aircraft and crew could not reach Birmingham on Wednesday.

Diversions yesterday meant that several planes were in the wrong place, causing a headache for airline schedulers. Planes were diverted as far away as Liverpool, Cardiff, and Gatwick.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch says it is investigating the incident at Birmingham Airport. It said in a statement: “Following an incident involving a light aircraft at Birmingham Airport, the AAIB has deployed a team to the site to begin an investigation. A multi‑disciplinary team including inspectors with expertise in aircraft operations, engineering and recorded data have been deployed to the airport.”

The latest statement from Birmingham Airport came just before 8 pm last night. It read: “Following the aircraft incident today, the runway has reopened and operations have resumed. All passengers must check flight details with their airlines and follow advice issued by them. We understand the frustration and apologise for the disruption this has caused. Our teams have worked as quickly as possible, in line with strict protocols, which must be followed to ensure a safe reopening of the runway following a prolonged closure.”

A small silver lining for delayed passengers came in the form of a chilled pint. Organisers of a beer festival held next door to the airport offered those caught up in the chaos a free bev if they showed their boarding pass. “We hope everyone is ok at Birmingham International Airport. If you are stuck at the airport, come to the Great British Beer Festival next door at the NEC for a pint while you wait,” the organisers tweeted.