Welcome back to the Lakers newsletter, where we’re likely standing at an airport as you read this.
The NBA schedule is in full swing. The chaos JJ Redick mentioned at the beginning of the season has arrived. The Lakers played a game with seven standard contract players. Austin Reaves went on a heater for the ages, scoring 51 points in a game, 41 in the next, then hitting the game-winner in the one after that. Nick Smith Jr. threw up in the hallway at Moda Center then dropped 25 on the Portland Trail Blazers.
But through it all, the Lakers are crediting their 6-2 start to something that can’t be measured in the box score.
All things Lakers, all the time.
‘Play Laker basketball’
There seems to be an advanced statistic for everything now. As a math person, I wholeheartedly embrace the nerdification of sports. But the thing Redick preaches most to his team is something that can’t be quantified.
Just “playing hard.”
It sounds simple, but, in fact, there is a way to do it wrong.
“That’s what we call ‘fake hustle,’” guard Marcus Smart said. “It’s all for the cameras. It’s all just to look good so you don’t get in trouble in the film room. But when you’re playing hard, you can feel it. You can feel the way you’re playing, you can feel the way the energy. Your body can feel it. Your mind can feel it. And you’d be surprised how the game turns out because of that.”
The Lakers’ early season commitment to simply playing hard has helped them weather injury storms and roster uncertainty. They’ve gone 3-1 in games without Luka Doncic. One of those victories was without Doncic and Austin Reaves, and all have been on the road. LeBron James hasn’t even played a minute this season.
“There’s certain things that we are doing right now that we did not do until mid-to-late January of last year,” Redick said before the Lakers’ game against Memphis.
Naturally, only hours after praising his team’s consistent competitiveness, Redick was frustrated with the effort in the second quarter against the Grizzlies. He called his players “zombies” as they let Memphis score 19 unanswered points in the second quarter.
So, no, things aren’t perfect yet.
But in a long season, with pieces that are still finding their way together, any early glimpse at some of those intangible, championship team qualities are meaningful. Redick lauded his team’s confidence, belief and connectivity in the win over Portland without Doncic or Reaves. Getting any or all of their stars back will change the complexion of what this team will ultimately achieve in April, May or — they hope — June, but the Lakers don’t want to it to affect what they do any given night.
“I think it all started in training camp, really just going as hard as we can, JJ not giving the crap who’s out there,” center Deandre Ayton said. “He wants to play Laker basketball.”
After the Lakers beat the Grizzlies, Smart gave the team a B+ in how hard it’s playing. But after Monday’s win in Portland in which Smith scored 25 points off the bench, Smart upgraded the rating to a B++.
So there’s still room to grow on this report card.
A new boss in town
New Lakers majority owner Mark Walter.
(Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
The Lakers officially have a new majority owner.
Mark Walter’s acquisition of the Lakers was unanimously approved by the NBA board of governors last Thursday. It was a monumental week for the billionaire. One day after the sale went final, Walter hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy for the second time in as many years with the Dodgers, who won the World Series in epic Game 7 fashion. Then on Sunday, Walter was sitting courtside at Crypto.com Arena in a royal blue Dodgers jacket to watch the Lakers defeat the Heat. An arena employee shook Walter’s hand, presumably thanking him for bringing L.A. another championship and already dreaming about the next one that could come for the purple and gold.
Redick said he spoke briefly with Walter after the news and came away impressed with Walter’s enthusiasm to learn about a new league.
“Baseball is an individual sport masquerading as a team sport. It’s a different thing,” Redick said. “Daryl Morey said it best on a podcast a couple years ago. He said the NBA now is the equivalent of the Giants when Barry Bonds was in his prime, basically getting to bat every single time and not only that, getting to pick who pitches to him every single time. That’s what the NBA is. … The impact of star players, a guy like Luka, a guy like LeBron, a guy like AR, it’s just different than any other sport.”
Favorite thing I ate this week
Miso pork katsu sando from Tokyo Sando food cart in Portland.
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
As my Uber driver dropped me off at my hotel in Portland, we drove by a collection of food trucks around the corner. He recommended that I make a stop for lunch. Little did he know, I had already scoped out the entire area, and I had my target locked.
The miso pork katsu sando from Tokyo Sando felt like culinary perfection after a chaotic back-to-back turnaround.
CELEBRITY Traitors star Tom Daley is diving head first into a pool of cash courtesy of a lucrative side hustle.
The champion diver raked in more than £100,000 from his knitting hobby in 2024 – two years on from setting up his Made With Love label.
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Tom Daley’s turned his love of knitting into a lucrative side hustleCredit: PATom was an early casualty on The TraitorsCredit: BBC
Profit eluded him for the first couple of years, but his woolly items are now coining it in.
Annual accounts for MWLTD Ltd show he made a six-figure profit in 2024 and left £57,000 in cash in the firm’s coffers.
He sells £8.99 balls of wool, patterns and leisurewear via his website and would-be buyers are told by Tom: “A lot of you know that I absolutely adore knitting.
“It’s been a journey for me that started when I first picked up my knitting needles in March 2020. Fast forward and I’m so proud to introduce these kits to you all so that you can experience the joy I found learning to knit.
“I designed these knit kits to help encourage you to pick up those needles, learn the basics, and fall in love with knitting at the same time – all whilst creating something to show off or pass on.”
Wool vest kits start at £53. A pattern and wool for a sweater costs up to £72.
Tom, who hosts Channel 4’s Game of Wool, has said he was banned from wearing his own knitwear when appearing on Celebrity Traitors.
The Olympic gold medallist, 31, revealed in a new interview that self-promotion was prohibited during filming for the BBC gameshow.
The former diving champion appeared as a Faithful contestant on the programme alongside singer Paloma Faith, presenter Stephen Fry and broadcaster Kate Garraway, with the Traitors being Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr and singer Cat Burns.
He also added that he was constantly knitting when they weren’t filming scenes for the show.
“Any time I was in the hotel, I was just knitting, knitting, knitting,” he said.
People travelling to the county next year may need to check their travel insurance
15:06, 29 Oct 2025Updated 15:08, 29 Oct 2025
The travel advice for Italy has been updated (Image: Getty)
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has updated its travel guidance for Italy. The FCDO regularly offers and updates travel advice for 226 countries and territories worldwide, covering a range of topics including warnings, insurance, and entry requirements.
The latest update was shared last week and remains current today, October 29. The update saw the FCDO issue new information about the upcoming Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games planned to take place in Italy from February 6 to 22 and March 6 to 15. As outlined on the website, the updates were made to the ‘Warnings and insurance’ and ‘Safety and security’ pages.
The warnings and insurance page covers steps to follow before travel, travel insurance, and where to find travel advice updates. In an alert regarding travel insurance, the Foreign Office said: “If you choose to travel, research your destinations and get appropriate travel insurance. Insurance should cover your itinerary, planned activities and expenses in an emergency.”
The guidelines state that travel insurance should cover all activities included in your holiday, including sports and adventure tourism, which could require specialist insurance. The safety and security page covers topics including terrorism threats, crime, laws and cultural differences, winter sports, and outdoor activities and adventure tourism.
In an alert regarding winter sports, the Foreign Office said: “Get advice on weather and avalanche conditions before you travel and familiarise yourself with local skiing laws and regulations. You can contact the Italian State Tourist Board for advice on safety and weather conditions before you travel.”
The advice also highlighted regulations for the ski season. It stated: “From 1 November 2025, all skiers, snowboarders, sledders, and tobogganers will be required to wear CE-certified helmets at all ski resorts. This law applies regardless of age or activity. Failing to do so risks a fine of up to €200 and ski pass suspension for up to 3 days.”
There’s also guidance for travellers planning to engage in outdoor activities and adventure tourism. The advice states: “Hiking, mountaineering and other adventure sports have specific risks. Check the company is well-established in the industry and make sure your insurance covers these activities.
“For sports activities like skiing, potholing and mountaineering, and for sports classed as particularly dangerous, such as off-piste skiing, mountain biking, climbing, paragliding or BASE jumping, your insurance should include:
mountain rescue services
helicopter costs
repatriation to your country of residence or transfer to neighbouring countries for treatment.”
The advice could be particularly useful for anyone attending the Olympic Games and who hopes to take part in winter activities during their trip. You should always check the weather forecasts and conditions before taking part in activities such as hiking or mountaineering, ensuring you’re properly equipped in case of an emergency.
Anyone planning a visit should read the general advice set out on the ‘Winter Olympics’ page. It states: “Italy will host the Winter Olympic Games from 6 to 22 February and the Paralympic Winter Games from 6 to 15 March. Competitions will be hosted across several distant locations in Lombardy and Northeast Italy.
If you are planning to attend:
sign up to get email alerts about Italy’s travel advice
check the official Olympics website for a calendar of events, venue information, ticket sales and to stay informed of anything that might affect your travel or plans
keep your personal belongings and valuables safe, if your passport is lost and stolen, check the Getting help page.”
It also directs people to other advice pages, including the advice about winter sports and travel insurance previously mentioned.
President Trump urged California voters on Sunday not to cast mail-in ballots or vote early in the California election about redistricting — the direct opposite of the message from state GOP leaders.
Repeating his false claim that former President Biden beat him in 2020 because the election was rigged, Trump argued that the November special election about redistricting in California would be rigged, as would the 2026 midterm election to determine control of Congress.
“No mail-in or ‘Early’ Voting, Yes to Voter ID! Watch how totally dishonest the California Prop Vote is! Millions of Ballots being ‘shipped,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “GET SMART REPUBLICANS, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!”
Proposition 50, a ballot measure proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional districts to boost their party’s ranks in the U.S. House of Representatives, is on the Nov. 4 ballot.
The rare mid-decade redistricting effort was in response to Trump urging GOP-led states, initially Texas, to increase the number of Republicans in the House in the 2026 midterm election to allow him to continue implementing his agenda in his final two years in the White House.
Trump has not weighed in on the merits of Proposition 50, while prominent Democrats who support it have, including former President Obama.
More than 4 million mail-in ballots — 18% of the ballots sent to California’s 23 million voters — had been returned as of Friday, according to a vote tracker run by Democratic redistricting expert Paul Mitchell, who drew the proposed maps on the ballot. Democrats continue to outpace Republicans in returning ballots, 51% to 28%. Voters registered without a party preference or with other political parties have returned 21% of the ballots.
Early-voting centers also opened in 29 counties on Saturday.
Turnout figures were alarming Republicans leaders before Trump’s message.
“It’s simple. Republicans need to stop complaining and vote. We ask and ask and ask and yet turnout still lags,” the San Diego GOP posted on X. “To win this one GOP turnout needs to be materially better than average. It’s very doable but won’t just happen. Work it.”
Republicans historically voted early while Democrats were more likely to cast ballots on election day. Trump upended this dynamic, creating dissonance with GOP leaders across the nation who recognized the value of banking early votes. And it completely contradicts the messaging by the opponents of Proposition 50.
Jessica Millan Patterson, a former chair of the state GOP and leader of the “No on Prop. 50 — Stop Sacramento’s Power Grab” committee, has been a longtime proponent of urging Republican voters to cast ballots as early and conveniently as possible.
“Sacramento politicians rushed this costly election for partisan gain, and mistakes have been made,” she said Sunday evening. “If Californians want change from our state’s failed one-party rule, it starts by turning out to vote no on Proposition 50.”
Argentina’s President Javier Milei sang to his supporters after early results showed he had won the country’s midterm elections, bolstering his push for radical economic reforms closely watched by the US.
Argentinian President Javier Milei’s party has pulled off a stunning win in the country’s legislative elections, according to early results, boosting his ability to push forward with his radical overhaul of the economy, including free-market reforms and deep austerity measures.
Milei’s party, La Libertad Avanza, scored 40.84 percent of the votes cast for members of Congress on Sunday, compared with 31.64 percent for the opposition Peronist coalition, early results showed.
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The results were based on a count of more than 90 percent of ballots cast.
The midterm elections were the first national test of Milei’s support since he won office two years ago, and will help him maintain the support of United States President Donald Trump, whose administration recently provided Argentina with a hefty financial bailout but has threatened to pull away if the libertarian leader did not do well.
At La Libertad Avanza’s headquarters on Sunday, Milei hailed the party’s victory as a “turning point” for the country and promised to charge ahead with his reforms.
Beaming as his supporters cheered, he seized on the results as evidence that Argentina had turned the page on decades of Peronism that had brought the country infamy for repeatedly defaulting on its sovereign debt.
“The Argentinian people left decadence behind and opted for progress,” Milei said, thanking “all those who supported the ideas of freedom to make Argentina great again”.
Milei’s party triples seat count
In Sunday’s elections, half of the seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies, or 127 seats, and one-third of the upper Senate, or 24 seats, were up for grabs.
Milei said his party has now tripled its seat count, winning 101 seats in the lower house, up from 37, and 20 seats in the Senate, up from six.
The most surprising results of Sunday’s election were in Buenos Aires province, where Milei’s party clawed its way back from defeat in last month’s local elections to run neck-and-neck with the Peronists.
The province has long been a political stronghold for the Peronists, and the win for Milei’s party marked a dramatic political shift.
The strong showing in Sunday’s election ensures Milei will have enough support in Congress to uphold presidential vetoes, prevent an impeachment effort, and see through his ambitious plans for tax and labour reforms in the coming months.
To support Milei, the Trump administration offered a bailout potentially worth $40bn, including a $20bn currency swap, which is already signed, and a proposed $20bn debt investment facility.
Trump has threatened to pull away if his populist ally performed poorly, warning that “if he doesn’t win, we’re not going to waste our time, because you have somebody whose philosophy has no chance of making Argentina great again”.
There was no immediate comment from the White House on Milei’s win.
‘Unobjectionable, unquestionable’
Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo, reporting from Buenos Aires, said that Trump’s interest in Milei may have influenced the decisions of some of the voters.
“Certainly, the United States played a crucial role in the last stage leading to this election,” she said. “People here listened, and in a way, it may have convinced many to vote for Javier Milei’s party.”
The results were a surprise, she said, “after the president’s party lost by 14 points in the province of Buenos Aires last month to the Peronist opposition after one of the harshest austerity plans in this country’s history”.
Analysts said the stronger-than-expected showing could reflect fear of renewed economic turmoil if the country abandoned Milei’s policies, which, while painful at times, have succeeded in drastically slowing inflation.
Gustavo Cordoba, the director of the Zuban Cordoba polling firm, told the Reuters news agency that he was shocked by the results and thought they reflected public wariness over a possible return to the economic crises of past governments.
“Many people were willing to give the government another chance,” he said. “We’ll see how much time Argentine society gives the Argentine government. But the triumph is unobjectionable, unquestionable.”
Milei, a key ideological ally of Trump who has slashed state spending and liberalised Argentina’s economy after decades of budget deficits and protectionism, had a lot riding on Sunday’s elections.
Milei’s government has been scrambling to avert a currency crisis ever since the defeat by the Peronist opposition in a provincial election last month panicked markets and prompted a selloff in the peso – a move that led to the US Treasury’s extraordinary intervention.
A series of scandals – including bribery allegations against Milei’s powerful sister, Karina Milei – hurt the president’s image as an anticorruption crusader and hit a nerve among voters reeling from his harsh austerity measures.
Although the budget cuts have significantly driven down inflation, from an annual high of 289 percent in April 2024 to just 32 percent last month, many Argentinians are still struggling to make ends meet.
Price rises have outpaced salaries and pensions since Milei cut cost-of-living increases. Households pay more for electricity and public transport since Milei cut subsidies. The unemployment rate is now higher than when the libertarian president took office.
Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, has energised liberal voters and has strongly condemned Israel’s war on Gaza.
Polling places have opened for the start of in-person voting for one of the year’s most closely watched elections in the United States, the New York City mayor’s race.
New Yorkers on Saturday began choosing between Democrat Zohran Mamdani, who has built up a sizeable lead in the polls, Republican Curtis Sliwa and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat appearing on the ballot as an independent. The incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, is also on the ballot, but dropped out of the race last month and recently threw his support behind Cuomo.
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Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, has energised liberal voters, drawn to his proposals for universal, free child care, free buses, and a rent freeze for New Yorkers living in about 1 million rent-regulated apartments.
Cuomo has assailed Mamdani, who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, over his criticism of Israel.
Mamdani, who has weathered anti-Muslim rhetoric during the contest, says Israel’s military actions in Gaza have amounted to genocide, a view shared by a UN inquiry, genocide experts and numerous rights groups.
In an emotional speech on Friday, Mamdani said the attacks against him are “racist, baseless”.
“To be Muslim in New York is to expect indignity, but indignity does not make us distinct. There are many New Yorkers who face it. It is the tolerance of that indignity that does,” said Mamdani, who in June beat Cuomo to achieve a landslide victory in the Democratic mayoral primary.
Cuomo has portrayed Mamdani’s policies as naive and financially irresponsible. He has appealed to voters to pick him because of his experience as the state’s governor, a position he gave up in 2021 after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment.
New York has allowed early voting since 2019, and it has become relatively popular. In June’s mayoral primary, about 35 percent of the ballots were cast early and in person, according to the city’s campaign finance board.
In neighbouring New Jersey, the governor’s race is also being closely followed. It features Republican state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli against Democratic US Representative Mikie Sherrill. New Jersey adopted early voting in 2021.
The off-year elections in the two states could be bellwethers for Democratic Party leaders as they try to decide what kinds of candidates might be best to lead their resistance to Republican President Donald Trump’s agenda.
The races have spotlighted affordability and cost of living issues as well as ongoing divisions within the Democratic Party, said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
“New York City pits the progressive wing against the establishment old guard in Mamdani versus Cuomo, while New Jersey is banking on moderate candidate Mikie Sherrill to appeal to its broad middle,” she said.
The New Jersey gubernatorial candidates, in their final debate earlier this month, sparred over the federal government shutdown, Sherrill’s military records, Trump’s policies and the high cost of living in the state.
The winner would succeed Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, who is term-limited.
Oct. 17 (UPI) — At least 11 protesters were arrested amid clashes with local police outside the Broadview, Ill., Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Friday morning.
Protesters arrived earlier than normal on Friday at the Chicago-area ICE facility and clashed with local law enforcement when the protesters blocked a local street and refused to go to a designated protest zone, WLS-TV reported.
“We are all Latino,” a protester told WLS-TV. “We all got to be united. What they are doing is not fair.”
The protester said ICE should focus its efforts on criminals and “leave the good people that are working” so that they can continue to work and improve their lives.
A report by WGN-TV said “things appeared to get out of hand rather quickly” when the protesters arrived during the morning hours.
The protest began near 8 a.m. CDT, which is an hour earlier than allowed by local regulations, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Those regulations allow protests from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and within a designated protest area.
The protest was the first since a protective fence around the ICE building was removed on Tuesday, as ordered by a federal judge.
Although the fencing is gone, the protesters are required to stay off the street and within an area lined by concrete barriers.
Those who did not clash with Illinois State Police officers, resulting in 11 being arrested for blocking the street and refusing to move to the designated protest area, local authorities told WLS-TV.
Protester Akeisha Lee was charged with disobeying a police officer or arresting and obstructing, and several others were being processed for violations during the morning hours, the Sun-Times reported.
Among those being processed following her arrest was United Church of Rogers Park Pastor Hannah Kardon.
While the protesters are restricted in their activities, federal law enforcement also is restricted in how it can operate in northern Illinois.
U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois Judge Sara Ellis earlier restricted when and where federal law enforcement officers and agents can use tear gas and on Thursday expressed concern that her restrictions were not being followed.
Ellis also amended a restraining order on federal law enforcement to require those equipped with body cameras to wear them and keep them on during enforcement operations.
Raducanu won 28 matches this year and reached the semi-finals in Washington, but her most impressive week was at the Miami Open in March.
The British number one reached the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 event, beating eighth seed Emma Navarro on the way before losing in three sets to fourth-ranked Pegula.
She was coached by Mark Petchey from Miami until Wimbledon, with Roig taking over in time for the US Open.
The initial agreement with Rafael Nadal’s former coach was until the end of the season but the partnership will continue, with a training block pencilled in for the end of the year.
Raducanu told BBC Sport her three-day trial with Roig after Wimbledon was like a “black ops mission” as they tried to keep the meeting secret.
She came very close to beating world number one Aryna Sabalenka at their first tournament together in Cincinnati in August.
Roig was also with Raducanu in New York, where she reached the third round before being beaten by 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
England’s Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones are bowled by Pakistan’s Diana Baig and Fatima Sana in the second and third over respectively at the Cricket World Cup.
Nathan Aspinall threw two nine-dart finishes during the Players Championship 31 only to be blown away in the final – as Luke Littler suffered an early exit.
Aspinall, 34, produced perfect darts in a 6-4 victory over Irishman Steve Lennon in the second round, then repeated the feat in a 6-5 win over Germany’s Lukas Wenig in the last 16.
Englishman Aspinall had taken a 2-0 lead against Jermaine Wattimena of the Netherlands in the final in Wigan.
However, Wattimena reeled off eight legs on the bounce to clinically see off Aspinall and seal his second ranking title of the season.
The 18-year-old world champion is currently 67th in the Players Championship standings, external and has three events to secure his place in the top 64 to qualify for the finals.
Michael van Gerwen is also in danger of not qualifying after he was knocked out at the same stage with a 6-4 loss to Dom Taylor.
The Dutchman is 92nd in table and must now make the final in the Players Championship 32 on Wednesday to secure his spot because he is skipping the final two events because of a pre-booked holiday.
There are 34 Players Championship events across the year, with the competition’s finals held in Minehead from 21-23 November.
The £175m Beaulieu Park train station in Chelmsford is finished well ahead of time, and will open for passengers next week – it’s the first station on the Eastern main line for 100 years
New railway station arrives months early
The first new train station on the Eastern main line for 100 years will be arriving … four months early. Rail chiefs are delighted with the £175m station which will open its doors next week.
Beaulieu Park is the first station on this part of the UK rail network network since the 1920s. And because it’s months ahead of schedule passengers will be able to use it from October 26th.
The station is part of a new super green initiative project near Chelmsford, Essex. Martin Beable, Greater Anglia’s Managing Director, said: “We are really looking forward to the opening of Beaulieu Park station, the first new station on the Great Eastern Main Line in over 100 years.
“Beaulieu Park station will benefit from a regular and reliable service of up to four trains per hour during peak times and two trains per hour during off peak periods, making rail travel simple and convenient for passengers.”
Councillor Louise McKinlay, Deputy Leader at Essex County Council, said: “Essex is pioneering the type of infrastructure-supported growth that’s on the national agenda, being bold and ambitious in our commitment to future-proofing the county and putting investment where it’s most needed.
“The new Beaulieu Park station is testament to this, and the role it will play in transforming travel in this part of Chelmsford and surrounding areas will have a positive impact for years to come.
“The progress being made to build the station is remarkable and I want to thank everyone involved for their hard work to get the project to this stage. I’m very much looking forward to the station opening.”
Council bosses hope the new station will transform travel north of Chelmsford as it will eases pressure on the existing busy Chelmsford train station and reduces car journeys into the city centre.
The station is a significant addition to the Beaulieu and Channels neighbourhoods in the north of the city, which form the first phases of the new Chelmsford Garden Community.
4,350 homes already have planning permission as part of the Garden Community. This includes 1,989 new homes which have already been built, along with the Beaulieu Square Neighbourhood Centre providing local shops, community and health services.
This is in addition to the Beaulieu Park School – the first all-through primary and secondary school in Essex.
Another 6,250 homes, a second all-through school campus, up to three primary schools with early years and childcare provision, up to four standalone early-years facilities, more than nine hectares of employment space and walking and cycling routes will also be delivered as part of the Garden Community in the coming years.
Beaulieu Park Station will provide easier and quicker access to jobs, helping the economic development of the area and encouraging further investment.
Beable added: “We expect the new station to be a very attractive and popular option for travellers from that part of Essex.”
Oct. 7 (UPI) — Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Tuesday called on President Emmanuel Macron to fix the country’s political crisis by appointing a new prime minister to get a budget passed for the coming year and bring forward the presidential election from 2027.
The intervention from Philippe, who served as prime minister from 2017 to 2020 in Macron’s first term, came a day after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu became the latest casualty in a revolving door of heads of France’s legislative branch that has seen five come and go in under two years.
Lecornu has, at Macron’s request, agreed to remain in post for 48 hours to “conduct final negotiations to define a platform for action and stability,” saying he would notify Macron if his efforts had been successful by the end of Wednesday.
But even among Macron’s backers, support appeared to be ebbing away with the general secretary of his centrist Renaissance Party and former prime minister Gabriel Attal joining the chorus of criticism of the embattled president.
Attal said he “no longer understands the decisions made by the president of the republic,” that repeated attempts by Macron to reassert his authority had failed and that a power-sharing deal was the only option left.
“I think we should try something else,” said Attal.
Les Republicains’ David Lisnard, whose party was part of Macron’s ruling alliance, laid blame for the crisis squarely at the feet of Macron and called for him to go.
Executive Vice President Francois-Xavier Bellamy said LR would not allow Macron and his backers “a final lap.”
Marine Le Pen of the National Rally said Macron’s resignation would be a “wise decision,” saying fresh parliamentary elections were an “absolute necessity.”
RN President Jordan Bardella said he expected Macron to dissolve the legislature, the National Assembly, vowing that his party was ready to step in.
“There cannot be a return to stability without a return to the ballot box. It was very clearly Emmanuel Macron who decided this government himself. He has understood nothing of the political situation we are in,” said Bardella.
Lecornu resigned Monday, less than four weeks after being appointed by Macron, in response to a furious backlash from opposition parties over his newly announced government because it was stuffed with Macron allies.
They said Lecornu had reneged on his “profound break” with the status quo pledge that he made on Sept. 10 when he took the place of predecessor Francois Bayrou.
Bayrou was forced to quit after losing a confidence vote two days earlier that he called in a bid to force drastic government spending cuts of $51.6 billion through parliament.
“Add in to the mix the emotional and mental stress related to my nationality switch and there is only so much I can deal with and take as an individual woman.
“If this makes me weak, then so be it, I’m weak.
“However, I know I am strong and will get stronger by being away and recharging.
“It’s time I listened to myself for a change.”
Former top-five players Elina Svitolina and Paula Badosa ended their seasons early in recent weeks.
Ukraine’s Svitolina said she had “not been feeling like myself”, while Badosa has spoken about the mental toll of an ongoing back problem.
Other players have also spoken about the impact of the tennis calendar.
Five players retired injured in two tournaments in China last week, with six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek saying the season is too long and intense.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has made it mandatory for top players to participate in each Grand Slam, 10 WTA 1000 events and six 500-level tournaments.
The majority of 1000 events on the WTA and men’s ATP Tour last two weeks, as do all four Grand Slams.
Players can skip mandatory events if they injured or have personal reasons, but they will receive no rankings points or prize money if they do not play.
Former world number one Novak Djokovic, who has slimmed down his schedule in recent years to protect his body, has called on players to be more united, external in forcing change.
If you claim Social Security early, you could find yourself wishing you had made a different choice as you cope with smaller monthly benefits.
You’ll make many decisions when preparing for retirement. Choosing when to file for Social Security benefits is one of the most important of those choices.
You have a long period when you could file for benefits, as you can claim as early as 62, but can also wait and increase the amount of your benefits until age 70. Picking the right moment within that eight-year timespan helps you maximize your income and build a more secure retirement.
For many people, an early claim seems like the obvious answer since you can start collecting right away and enjoying the benefits you’ve worked hard to earn all your life. In reality, though, claiming at a young age — and especially before your designated full retirement age — could be something you end up really regretting.
Here’s why.
Image source: Getty Images.
An early claim limits your ability to work
If you start receiving Social Security before your designated full retirement age (FRA), your decision could impact your ability to work because when you earn too much before FRA, your benefit checks are reduced or even eliminated.
For example, in 2025, if you won’t reach FRA during the entire year, then once you earn more than $23,400, you’ll lose $1 in benefits for every $2 earned above that limit. This could quickly lead to your Social Security checks disappearing entirely, since the Social Security Administration withholds full checks when you go above the limit.
This rule prevents double-dipping of benefits and a paycheck in the years before you reach FRA, and it can lead to a lot of hassle if you’re trying to track earnings to avoid losing benefits.
Eventually, you do get credit if checks are withheld, as your benefit is recalculated at your full retirement age to account for the missed money — but the process of slowly recovering the benefits you missed out on due to exceeding the work limits can be very frustrating.
You’ll take a big benefits cut that is permanent
Since you have an eight-year window to claim Social Security, there are rules in place to try to equalize out lifetime benefits so you get the same amount of money no matter when you claim.
One of those rules is that if you claim Social Security benefits before FRA, benefits are reduced by early filing penalties. But if you wait until after FRA, benefits are increased due to delayed retirement credits.
The penalties and credits apply monthly, as you’ll lose 5/9 of 1% of your standard benefit for each of the first 36 months you receive a check ahead of your FRA. If you claim even sooner, you lose an additional 5/12 of 1% for any of the prior months.
The monthly penalties add up to an annual 6.7% reduction from your standard benefit for years one, two, and three. For years four and five when you were collecting early Social Security benefits, the reduction in benefits is 5% annually. This means that a claim at 62 instead of at an FRA of 67 results in a 30% cut to benefits overall. That cut is permanent, and benefits will always be 30% smaller than they would have been had you waited to claim.
If you delayed beyond FRA until 70 instead, though, you’d have increased your benefits by 2/3 of 1% or 8% per year and received more benefits instead of smaller checks.
You’ll shrink your survivor benefits
You are not the only one who could regret your early Social Security claim. Your spouse could as well. When you die, your spouse either gets to keep receiving their own benefit or keep receiving yours. If you were the higher earner in your family and your Social Security benefit is a lot bigger, then keeping your benefit would be better for your surviving spouse.
The problem is, if you claimed Social Security ahead of schedule, you’d have shrunk your benefit — so your surviving spouse would be left with a smaller survivor benefit than they could have had. Since living on a single Social Security check instead of two is hard, your spouse could end up really wishing you hadn’t claimed early.
You stand a good chance of missing out on lifetime income
Finally, research has shown that around 7 in 10 retirees would find themselves with more lifetime income if they delay benefits until 70 instead of claiming at a younger age. If your goal is to maximize the lifetime income Social Security offers so you don’t have to rely as much on your 401(k) or other retirement plans, then you’ll want to avoid shrinking your lifetime income.
That’s especially true as Social Security is a reliable source of funds since there are cost-of-living adjustments built in that help you avoid losing buying power due to inflation.
Ultimately, an early claim is simply not the right option for many. When you are making your retirement plans, think seriously about whether you should prepare to try to put off your Social Security claim. If so, have a plan to do that, such as living on retirement savings until the day comes when you can claim a large benefit and set yourself and your spouse up for a more secure future.
Amazon’s line of Fire tablets are great, all-purpose devices for browsing and streaming – especially for shoppers who want to stay away from the big bucks of more powerful devices like Apple iPads and Samsung Tabs.
It also doubles up as an e-reader, though dedicated book-lovers should gravitate towards the retailer’s Kindle range.
The Fire HD 10 is perfect for watching, reading, and gaming, and it’s 25% faster than the old model.
Basically, its engine got a major upgrade – it now has a powerful processor and 3 GB of RAM, which helps everything run super-smoothly.
You get awesome HD entertainment on a big 10.1-inch screen that makes all your games and shows look great with brilliant colour.
(By the way, if you want something smaller and cheaper, the 8-inch Fire HD 8 is also on sale for just £49.99.)
The tablet has serious stamina: you can binge-watch for up to 13 hours without needing to plug into its charger.
The tablet is durable, too, with a strengthened screen that Amazon claims to to be 2.7 times tougher than the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 (2022) in a drop test.
Need a good device to chat with friends and family? The 5MP front camera is way better for video calls than squinting at your small phone screen.
For storage, it comes with 32GB or 64GB of space, which is expandable by up to 1TB with a separate microSD card.
And this being an Amazon gadget, you can operate it via Alexa – it can help you out with streaming videos, relaying the latest news and controlling other smart devices in the same connected ecosystem.
Amazon Prime Day: early Fire Tablet Deals
Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet (newest gen), £69.99 (was £149.99) – buy here
Amazon Fire Max 11 tablet (newest gen), £129.99 (was £249.99) – buy here
Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet (newest gen), £49.99 (was £99.99) – buy here
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro tablet (newest gen), £79.99 (was £159.99) – buy here
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids tablet (newest gen), £69.99 (was £149.99) – buy here
“The Amazon Fire HD 10 is a fantastic budget-friendly tablet,” writes one shopper.
“The 10.1-inch screen is bright and clear, perfect for watching videos, reading, or browsing.
“The battery easily lasts up to 13 hours – ideal for all-day use.”
Another delighted customer added: “Quality item… I can’t get over the size of the screen, it’s 10 inches but looks bigger.
“The tablet is lightning-fast, and it does everything that I expect from an Amazon Fire… Well worth the investment.”
A lot more deals are on the way when the Prime Big Deal Days sale starts next week, and it’s worth keeping in mind that these early device deals might become exclusively for Prime members.
So, while this current deal is marked on the Amazon site as ending on October 14th, it’s not impossible it will only be available for Amazon Prime members soon.
Anyone without a Prime account who’s interested shouldn’t hold off for too long on buying.
Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet, £69.99 (was £149.99)
Make sure you bookmark our best Amazon Prime Day deals page, where we’ll be listing all the top bargains when the two-day sale kicks off.
For our top pick of smart gadgets available to snap up right now, head to our Amazon device deals page.
Amazon Prime Day: the 10 best early deals
The Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale doesn’t kick off until next week (7th-8th October), but there’s already some early deals to snap up.
*If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue
Blink Smart Camera & Doorbell bundle, £31.49 (was £119.98) – buy here
Poounur Fitness Smartwatch, £23.99 (was £129.99) – buy here
Hangsun 12L/Day Dehumidifier, £88.38 (was £118.98) – buy here
LKOUY Portable Charger, £12.99 (was £59.99) – buy here
Slumberdown Feels Like Down King Size Duvet, £21.56 (was £31.19) – buy here
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
South Korea has selected an L3Harris Global 6500 bizjet-based solution for its new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft. As we discussed at the time, Seoul launched its search for a new radar plane back in 2020, to bolster its current fleet of four Boeing E-737s, the South Korean version of the E-7 Wedgetail that has been selected by the U.S. Air Force, NATO, and the United Kingdom, and is in service with Turkey, South Korea, and Australia. Reports from earlier this year suggested that Boeing had already been eliminated or dropped out of the new South Korean AEW&C competition, something that the company appeared to deny.
A rendering of the Global 6500 bizjet-based solution from L3Harris, as selected today by South Korea. L3Harris
According to L3Harris, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has selected its proposal for its next-generation AEW&C program. The L3Harris solution allies a Bombardier Global 6500 airframe with the EL/W-2085 radar from Israel’s Elta. This series of radars is already used in AEW&C aircraft operated by Israel, Italy, and Singapore. It uses side-mounted active electronically scanned arrays (AESA), with additional antennas in the nose and tail helping to provide 360-degree coverage.
An Israeli Air Force Eitam Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) aircraft with a local version of the EL/W-2085 radar. IAF
For the South Korean bid, L3Harris had also been in competition with Sweden’s Saab, offering its Erieye Extended Range (ER) radar, also on a Global 6500 platform, a package known as GlobalEye.
According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, DAPA chose the L3Harris option after it received a higher score following an evaluation.
Yonhap quoted DAPA as saying: “There was no significant difference in the evaluation of the performance of the target equipment, and L3Harris received high scores in the areas of operational suitability, domestic defense industry contribution, and operation and maintenance costs, while Saab received high scores in the areas of contract terms and acquisition costs. As a result of synthesizing the scores for each evaluation item, L3Harris received a high score.”
The GlobalEye multi-sensor surveillance plane combines the Erieye Extended Range radar with a Canadian-made Bombardier Global 6000/6500 airframe. Saab Saab
DAPA further stated: “Through this project, we expect to secure the ability to conduct constant aerial surveillance of enemy aerial threats in both wartime and peacetime, and to enable smooth execution of air control missions led by the Korean military.”
The four new AEW&C aircraft are due to be introduced by 2032, at a cost of 3.0975 trillion won (roughly $2.2 billion).
Exactly what happened to Boeing in the competition is unclear.
Having provided the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) with its four E-737s, under the Peace Eye program, it might have been viewed as a frontrunner in the second phase of the AEW&C acquisition.
South Korea ordered four E-737s under the Peace Eye deal, with deliveries completed in 2012. Boeing
In July of this year, reports emerged that the Boeing offering (again based on the E-7/E-737) had been removed from the South Korean competition.
At the time, Boeing provided the TWZ with the following statement: “We continue to support the U.S. government, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and the Republic of Korea Air Force on our offering for additional E-7 AEW&C aircraft via the Foreign Military Sale process. In addition to detecting, tracking, and identifying targets, the E-7 AEW&C provides unmatched battle management capabilities ideally suited to the ROKAF’s needs.”
Meanwhile, sources familiar with the acquisition told TWZ that Boeing had submitted a proposal and supporting documents for its bid, but that none of the bidders involved met all the requirements outlined in two previous rounds. As a result, DAPA reissued the request for proposals (RFP), albeit with no changes in cost or requirements. Although the U.S. government didn’t resubmit the Boeing offer, it apparently remained a bidder in the competition. Once the RFP was reissued, the U.S. government and Boeing together submitted a letter stating that the original proposal still stood, with the same price tag attached.
We have reached out to Boeing for an update on the competition, but reports from South Korea, at least, suggest that, by the end, the bidding was a two-horse race between L3Harris and Saab.
Another view of a South Korean E-737. Boeing
Once the ROKAF fields its new radar planes, they will be a critical part of a broader effort to significantly enhance the country’s intelligence, surveillance, targeting, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities. In particular, they will help shore up possible gaps in its aerial surveillance coverage as the threat from North Korea, as well as from China, continues to grow.
Seoul approved the new AEW&C acquisition plan in June 2020, with DAPA already discounting any potential domestic solution.
As we reported in the past, South Korea first identified an emerging airborne early warning requirement as long ago as 1980, which it deemed necessary due to the country’s topography. This limits the performance of ground-based radar stations.
However, the first phase of its AEW&C acquisition wasn’t launched until 2005. On that occasion, the Boeing E-7 was chosen in favor of a U.S.-Israeli consortium of Gulfstream, L3, and Israel Aerospace Industries/Elta offering the Gulfstream G550 Conformal AEW (CAEW) — a forerunner of the L3Harris Global 6500-based solution.
A Republic of Singapore Air Force G550 Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) aircraft lands at RAAF Base Darwin as part of Exercise Pitch Black 2016. Australian Department of Defense LSIS Jayson Tufrey
Interestingly, however, it seems that Seoul would have opted for the U.S.-Israeli product, especially due to its low acquisition and through-life costs, but export restrictions ruled this out, and the Boeing offer was selected by default in August 2006.
The resulting $1.6-billion Peace Eye project included four E-737 aircraft, the last of which was delivered in 2012.
But there have also been reports that the ROKAF may have been dissatisfied with its E-737s.
In October 2019, the South Korean daily newspaper Munhwa Ilbo reported on a ROKAF document that had been submitted to the Korean parliamentary National Defense Committee. It cited “frequent failures” in the period from 2015 to September 2019 that meant the E-737s had failed to meet a targeted availability rate of 75 per cent. This lack of airframes reportedly exposed gaps in South Korea’s air defense coverage due to aircraft being unavailable to maintain constant patrols.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un takes a close look at an X-wing drone. North Korean state media
Since Seoul launched its latest AEW&C competition, Boeing has found additional customers for the E-7, with the U.S. Air Force and NATO choosing it to replace or partially replace their aging E-3 Sentry AWACS fleets.
However, the future of the U.S. Air Force E-7 procurement remains somewhat precarious, with a Pentagon plan to axe the acquisition, amid a push to eventually move most, if not all, of its airborne target warning sensor layer into space. In July of this year, the House Armed Services Committee made a move toward reversing that decision.
A rendering of a Boeing E-7 AEW&C aircraft in U.S. Air Force service. U.S. Air Force
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has also now laid out plans to buy more of the U.S. Navy’s E-2D Hawkeye AEW&C aircraft to mitigate any capability gaps in the interim.
A pair of E-2D Hawkeyes. Northrop Grumman
Whatever is decided, the U.S. Air Force’s E-7 program had already suffered notable delays and cost growth, which the Pentagon has said were major factors in the cancellation decision.
With all that in mind, today’s decision in South Korea looks like especially bad news for Boeing.
It should also be recalled that the Global 6500 is a new platform for this technology. It would appear that L3Harris will have to reintegrate the entire CAEW configuration, including its conformal systems, and flight-test it on a new airframe. With the production of the G550 ended, this would appear to be the only solution if a new-build airframe is to be used. We have asked the company for more details on this process.
Nevertheless, with its selection of the Global 6500 airframe with the proven EL/W-2085 radar, South Korea underscores the growing importance of relatively small business-jet-type aircraft for ISTAR missions. Platforms like these are becoming increasingly cost-effective, thanks in no small part to steady improvements in jet engine technology, and their popularity has been proven out by the U.S. Air Force, which opted for an L3Harris/G550-based solution for its EC-37B Compass Call program.
Amid growing interest in AEW&C platforms, including from countries that didn’t previously operate aircraft in this class, Seoul’s selection of the Global 6500 as its next-generation radar plane could have major implications for others looking at fielding similar capabilities.
“There should be accountability when a prisoner is released early in error – and it has to go right to the top of the chain, including the Justice Secretary.
“Nobody wants to live in a lawless society. The idea that multiple people a week can be set free by mistake is scandalous.”
The Ministry of Justice said: “We’ve set up a specialist team to clamp down on those releases.”
Moment thug who kidnapped boy ‘celebrates’ EARLY release in bizarre video
