fourth

Great Britain’s Patrick Dever came an impressive fourth on his marathon debut in the men’s race in New York as Benson Kipruto beat Alexander Mutiso in a dramatic photo finish to claim victory.

Preston Harrier Dever, who finished in a time of two hours eight minutes and 58 seconds, was part of a four-man group before Kipruto and Mutiso broke clear in the latter stages.

Mutiso nearly overtook his fellow Kenyan on the line but Kipruto held him off to win as both were given a time of 2:08.09. Their compatriot Albert Korir was third in 2:08.57.

Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, who could have run his last marathon at elite level,, external was 17th in 2:14.36.

Hellen Obiri set a course record to win the women’s race in New York as the 35-year-old Kenyan claimed victory in 2:19.51.

The previous record of 2:22.31 had been set by Margaret Okaya in 2003.

Sharon Lokedi was second in 2:20.07 and fellow Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui was third in 2:20.24, while Great Britain’s Jessica Warner-Judd was seventh on her debut over the distance in 2:24.45.

Great Britain’s David Weir came second (1:34.09) behind Switzerland’s Marcel Hug (1:30.16) in the men’s wheelchair race.

Briton Eden Rainbow-Cooper (1:59.30) was seventh in the women’s wheelchair race, which was won by American Susannah Scaroni (1:42.10).

Premier League holders Liverpool’s title defence continues to stutter as Brentford’s recovery persists.

Champions Liverpool suffered a fourth successive Premier League defeat as they lost 3-2 at Brentford to continue their miserable run of form in London.

Arne Slot’s stumbling side fell behind after five minutes on Saturday when Dango Ouattara volleyed in following a long throw, and Kevin Schade went through to make it 2-0 in the 45th.

Milos Kerkez replied for the visitors in first-half stoppage time with his first Liverpool goal from Conor Bradley’s cross.

Liverpool’s expected second-half siege never really materialised, however, and Igor Thiago restored Brentford’s two-goal advantage from the penalty spot on the hour mark.

Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool hope with a clinical finish in the 89th minute, but they had left it too late.

It is the first time since 2021 that Liverpool have lost four successive league games, with three of those matches being in London after defeats at Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

They are now sixth in the table on 15 points, four points behind leaders Arsenal, who could extend that margin on Sunday when they host Crystal Palace.

Brentford’s second win in a row moved them up to 10th place, two points behind Liverpool.

Brentford fans taunt Liverpool manager Slot

The home fans took delight in taunting Liverpool manager Arne Slot with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning”, and while the Dutchman need not worry about that, the sense of his side’s title defence wilting was palpable.

They looked fragile at the back and were often out-muscled by Brentford. Doubts about Salah’s lack of impact will also continue, despite him slamming home a fine late goal to end a more than a month-long scoreless run in the Premier League.

Brentford’s threat from long throws could not have escaped Slot’s attention, but his side were caught cold by the tactic on a chilly night in southwest London.

Michael Kayode wound up a long delivery into the box, and when Kristoffer Ajer flicked it on, Ouattara reacted superbly to hook his volley past Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Liverpool responded with chances for Florian Wirtz and Cody Gakpo, but they were not convincing and were undone again as halftime loomed. Mikkel Damsgaard’s superb long pass sent Schade away, and he kept his composure to beat Mamardashvili.

Kerkez fired home from close range in the fifth minute of stoppage time, despite fierce Brentford protests about an infringement.

Brentford earned a penalty when Virgil van Dijk clipped Ouattara’s foot on the edge of the area, and after a long VAR check, referee Tim Robinson awarded a spot-kick, and Thiago coolly slotted his shot down the middle.

Salah’s instant control and finish set up a chaotic period of stoppage time that took the game into its 100th minute, but Brentford held on for a thoroughly deserved three points.

KATHERINE Ryan has melted hearts after she shared adorable photos of her newborn baby after giving birth a week ago.

The comedian, 42, revealed she had welcomed her fourth child last Saturday in just 45 minutes.

Katherine, 42, already has three children including son Fred, three, and daughter Fenna, two, with husband Bobby Koostra, and she is mum to her 15-year-old Violet from a previous relationship.

Now a week into welcoming her fourth child, the comedian has given a sweet update into life with another baby.

She shared a slew of adorable snaps on Instagram which included a pic of baby Holland just after she had been born.

Another sweet snap saw the baby all wrapped up in pink knitwear.

Read more on Katherine Ryan

‘PERSONAL BEST’ 

Katherine Ryan gives birth to 4th child in 45 MINUTES and shares cute name

not big

Katherine Ryan’s husband reveals horror accident has left him with a MICRO PENIS

The proud mum wrote next to the adorable pictures: “One week of easy breezy Holland.”

Fans rushed to compliment her on the sweet snaps, with one saying: “Just beautiful!”

Another joked: “Stop it Katherine, you’re making me broody!”

This fan said: “Congrats! What a beautiful little girl.”

BABY JOY

Katherine announced she was adding to her brood earlier this year.

The star then revealed on October 18 that she had given birth.

Katherine shared a slew of sweet snaps to mark the occasion.

Her husband Bobby paid an emotional tribute to his “great” wife.

He said: “Holland Juliette Kootstra has arrived:)

“The ‘Patrick Mahomes’ of child birth pulled out another MVP performance!

“Amazing to witness the greatness of @kathbum #blessed”

One follower commented: “Congratulations and love the name.. a welcome addition to your amazing family… sending love.”

Another chimed in: “Yay!! Gorgeous name and post-birth line up.”

JAB HACK

I’ve lost 6st in six months on Mounjaro & ‘cured’ the horrible side effect

CASH BOOST

Clever tools to help you find lost cash in time for Xmas – you could get £3,141

Katherine’s husband also told fans that Katherine had achieved a ’45 minute PB’ when it came to giving birth to the baby.

Sharing a photo of her in the hospital bed, Bobby penned: “45 min PB,” alongside an emoji of a girl running.

Explosions were heard in the vicinity of Khartoum International Airport amid uncertainty over its reopening.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have targeted Sudan’s capital Khartoum and its main airport with drones for a fourth consecutive day, as the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) attempts to resume air traffic after regaining control of the city several months ago.

Drones and surface-to-air missiles were heard above the capital in the early hours of Friday morning, residents living close to the Khartoum International Airport told Al Jazeera, before loud explosions went off.

It is unclear whether the capital’s main airport was successfully hit and the extent of the damage.

The attack marks the fourth consecutive day of attacks that began on Tuesday, a day before the airport was scheduled to become operational after at least two years of war.

A single plane operated by the local Badr Airlines landed on Wednesday, before an airport official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the airport’s reopening has been postponed “under further notice” because of incoming attacks.

Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said that “despite authorities saying that operations are scheduled to start on October 26, there are concerns that this will not happen”.

The war, which started in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced about 12 million more and left 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, making it the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

Return to Khartoum

The Sudanese military retook the capital from the paramilitary force in March. Since then, residents have been tentatively returning to their homes, often to find them destroyed.

Alfatih Bashir’s house in Omdurman, which he built using all his savings, has collapsed ceilings and damaged walls. “I built it when I was working abroad,” Bashir told Al Jazeera, adding that now he did not posses the necessary funds to repair the damage.

“I’m not working, I’m just sitting idly with my wife and two children. We sometimes barely have enough to eat. How can I even start to rebuild?” he said.

Authorities are still assessing how many houses have been damaged in the conflict, but the scars of the battle between the military and the RSF are visible across the capital.

Another resident, Afaf Khamed, said she fainted when she saw the extent of the damage.

“This house is where we were born, where all our family members got married. I now live here with my sister, and we can’t rebuild because we don’t have anyone to help us,” she told Al Jazeera.

The collapse of the local currency makes reconstruction an impossible feat even for those who have retained a job during the war. While salaries have remained stable, the Sudanese pound spiked from 600 pounds to the US dollar in April 2023, when the conflict started, to 3,500 pounds.

Goods are also hard to come by in the war-torn country, hampering reconstruction. Shop owner Mohammed Ali said materials take too long to arrive because of security checks, and that makes them more expensive. As a consequence, “fewer and fewer people are coming to buy building materials”, he said.

Sudan’s government has pledged to rebuild the capital, but its focus as so far has been on state institutions, while residents are left to figure out how to rebuild on their own.

SAO PAULO — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Thursday he will run for reelection next year, seeking a fourth nonconsecutive term.

“I’m turning 80, but you can be sure I have the same energy I had when I was 30. And I’m going to run for a fourth term in Brazil,” Lula told reporters during his official visit to Indonesia.

The Brazilian leader is traveling across Asia. After his visit to Indonesia, where he met with President Prabowo Subianto, Lula will head to Malaysia to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.

Brazilian media reported that he is expected to meet for the first time with President Trump in Malaysia on Sunday, following a conciliatory phone call earlier this month. The two leaders are expected to discuss the 50% trade tariff Trump imposed on Brazil.

Brazil’s constitution allows presidents to serve only two consecutive terms. Lula returned to office in 2023 after 13 years out of power and remains eligible to run again.

Before defeating Jair Bolsonaro in 2022 to win a third nonconsecutive term, Lula had said that would be his final campaign both because of his age and because he believed the country needed political renewal. But early in his current term, he began hinting that he might run again.

In February 2023, the president said he could seek reelection in 2026, adding that his decision would depend on the country’s political context and his health.

A dominant figure on Brazil’s left, Lula is the country’s longest-serving president since its return to democracy 40 years ago.

Some Brazilian politicians have expressed concern about Lula’s age and recent health issues. He underwent emergency surgery to treat a brain bleed late last year after a fall in the bathroom. Still, Lula frequently insists he remains healthy and energetic, often sharing workout videos on social media.

Lula currently leads all polls for the 2026 election, though roughly half of voters say they disapprove of him. Trump’s tariffs reenergized the Brazilian leader and pushed his popularity up.

His main political rival, Bolsonaro, has been barred from running for office and sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup. While no strong opposition candidate has yet emerged, analysts say a viable contender is likely to depend on Bolsonaro’s backing as he serves his sentence under house arrest.

Pessoa writes for the Associated Press.

WASHINGTON — As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, Senate Republicans are headed to the White House on Tuesday — not for urgent talks on how to end it but for a display of unity with President Trump as they refuse to negotiate on any Democratic demands.

Senate Democrats, too, are confident in their strategy to keep voting against a House-passed bill that would reopen the government until Republicans, including Trump, engage them on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year.

With both sides showing no signs of movement, it’s unclear how long the stalemate will last — even as hundreds of thousands of federal workers will miss another paycheck in the coming days and states are sounding warnings that key federal programs will soon lapse completely. And the lunch meeting in the White House Rose Garden appears unlikely, for now, to lead to a bipartisan resolution as Senate Republicans are dug in and Trump has followed their lead.

Asked about the message at lunch, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, second in Senate GOP leadership, told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday that it will be, “Republicans are united, and I expect the president to say, ‘Stand strong.’”

Senate Republican leader John Thune, of South Dakota said on Monday that he thinks Trump is ready to “get involved on having the discussion” about extending the subsidies. “But I don’t think they are prepared to do that until (Democrats) open up the government,” he said.

Missed paychecks and programs running out of money

While Capitol Hill remains at a standstill, the effects of the shutdown are worsening.

Federal workers are set to miss additional paychecks amid total uncertainty about when they might eventually get paid. Government services like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, and Head Start preschool programs that serve needy families are facing potential cutoffs in funding. On Monday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the National Nuclear Security Administration is furloughing 1,400 federal workers. The Federal Aviation Administration has reported air controller shortages and flight delays in cities across the United States.

And as the shutdown keeps future health costs in limbo for millions of Americans, most U.S. adults are worried about health care becoming more expensive, according to a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, as they make decisions about next year’s health coverage.

Still, there has been little urgency in Washington as each side believes the other will eventually cave.

“Our position remains the same: We want to end the shutdown as soon as we can and fix the ACA premium crisis that looms over 20 million hardworking Americans,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Monday, referring to the expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire in December.

Schumer called the White House meeting a “pep rally” and said it was “shameful” that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House out of town during the shutdown.

November deadlines

Members of both parties acknowledge that as the shutdown drags on, it is becoming less likely every day that Congress will be able to either extend the subsidies or fund the government through the regular appropriations process. The House GOP bill that Senate Democrats have now rejected 11 times would only keep the government open through Nov. 21.

Thune on Monday hinted that Republicans may propose a longer extension of current funding instead of passing individual spending bills if the shutdown doesn’t end soon. Congress would need to pass an extension beyond Nov. 21, he said, “if not something on a much longer-term basis.”

Democrats are focused on Nov. 1, when next year’s enrollment period for the ACA coverage begins and millions of people will sign up for their coverage without the expanded subsidy help that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once those sign-ups begin, they say, it would be much harder to restore the subsidies even if they did have a bipartisan compromise.

“Very soon Americans are going to have to make some really difficult choices about which health care plan they choose for next year,” Schumer said.

What about Trump?

Tuesday’s White House meeting will be a chance for Republican senators to engage with the president on the shutdown after he has been more involved in foreign policy and other issues.

The president last week dismissed Democratic demands as “crazy,” adding, “We’re just not going to do it.”

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said that Republican senators will talk strategy with the president at Tuesday’s lunch. “Obviously, we’ll talk to him about it, and he’ll give us his ideas, and we’ll talk about ours,” Hoeven said. “Anything we can do to try to get Democrats to join us” and pass the Republican bill to reopen the government, Hoeven said.

Still, GOP lawmakers expect Trump to stay in line with their current posture to reject negotiations until the government is open.

“Until they put something reasonable on the table to talk about, I don’t think there’s anything to talk about,” said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.

Democrats say Trump has to be more involved for the government to reopen.

“He needs to get off the sidelines, get off the golf course,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “We know that House and Senate Republicans don’t do anything without getting permission from their boss, Donald J. Trump.”

Jalonick writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves and Matt Brown contributed to this report.

Seth Jarvis scored 1:45 into overtime and the Carolina Hurricanes extended their undefeated start to the season to five games despite giving up a three-goal lead in a 4-3 win over the Kings on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Jarvis netted his sixth goal of the season, capitalizing on a fortunate bounce after Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke blocked Sebastian Aho’s shot, scoring into an open net with goalie Anton Forsberg unable to get back in position.

Jordan Staal had two goals, Jesperi Kotkaniemi also scored, and Brandon Bussi made 25 saves for the Hurricanes.

Kevin Fiala tied it midway through the third period for the Kings, who have lost four straight. Trevor Moore and Andrei Kuzmenko also scored, and Forsberg made 36 saves.

The Hurricanes went up 3-0 early in the second period before the Kings responded. Moore got the Kings on the board and looked to have picked up a second less than a minute later, but it was waived off for goaltender interference by Warren Foegele.

Kuzmenko cut it to 3-2 on the power play with 3:56 left in the period, the first conceded by Carolina this season in 10 road penalty kills.

For all of its dominance, Carolina had scored two goals in the first period coming into the night. Staal doubled that in the opening 3:58, including scoring 12 seconds into the game when William Carrier found him alone at the back post for his 300th career goal.

Staal joined his brother Eric in the 300-goal club, making them the fourth brother pair to accomplish it and joining Maurice and Henri Richard, Bobby and Dennis Hull, and Brent and Brian Sutter.

Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere played 4:06 in the first period before exiting the game with a lower-body injury.

Oct. 15 (UPI) — Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that one of the four bodies returned from Gaza in this week’s cease-fire deal did not belong to any of the hostages taken by Hamas.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it has completed the identification process and informed that the families of Uriel Baruch, Tamir Nimrodi and Eitan Levy that their remains have been returned to Israel.

“The government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Baruch, Nimrodi and Levy families, and the families of the fallen hostages,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

The IDF said the fourth body has yet to be identified.

“Following the completion of examinations at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the fourth body handed over to Israel by Hamas does not match any of the hostages,” the IDF said, according to NBC News. Hamas has returned the bodies of seven hostages out of the 28 bodies believed to be held in Gaza.

Israel’s far-right security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, called for a halt on humanitarian aid into Gaza, accusing Hamas of not putting enough effort into recovering the remaining dead hostages, The Guardian reported. Hamas negotiators said nine of the bodies weren’t able to be recovered amid rubbling from bombing.

“Enough with the disgrace,” Ben Gvir said.

“Moments after opening the crossings to hundreds of trucks, Hamas very quickly returned to its known methods — to lie, to cheat, and to abuse families and the bodies. This Nazi terror understands only force, and the only way to deal with it is to erase it from the face of the earth.”

The Israel Defense Forces said Nimrodi, a member of the IDF, was taken alive at the age of 18 from the Coordination and Liaison Headquarters base in the Gaza Division, and is believed to have been killed at the beginning of the war.

Baruch, 35, a husband and father of two, was killed on Oct. 7, 2023. The IDF said he was fleeing the Nova music festival and his body was taken back into Gaza. The military had confirmed on March 26, 2024, that he had died.

Levy, 53, was also killed on Oct. 7, 2023, and his body was taken back into Gaza, the IDF said, adding that officials confirmed on Dec. 8, 2023, that he was dead. He leaves behind a son and a sister.

“The IDF shares in the families’ grief, continues to invest all efforts in returning the bodies of the fallen hostages and is preparing to continue implementing the agreement,” the military said.

Israel said Tuesday night that it had received the remains of four deceased hostages that Hamas had kidnapped during its surprise attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, that ignited the two-year-long war. A total 251 hostages were taken that day.

The bodies were returned as part of the first phase of a 20-point peace plan that began to be implemented Monday when Hamas released 20 living hostages to Israel and Israel released nearly 2,000 detainees into Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

No living hostages remain in Gaza following Monday’s exchange, though it is believed that the bodies of 20 deceased hostages remain in Gaza.

Israel had said Tuesday that the bodies of the four deceased hostages were transferred to the IDF via the Red Cross inside the Palestinian enclave and were transported into Israel where they were received in a military ceremony.

Big Brother saw their second live eviction and fourth housemate to leave the house tonight after the show made headlines for George Gilbert’s ejection for offensive language

Tonight, AJ Odudu and Will Best spoke to the house live for the second time this series as Cameron B was evicted from the Big Brother house.

Last Friday, Gani became the second contestant to be evicted from the house, but unfortunately for him, he didn’t get the showcase he deserved due to Storm Amy.

In a chaotic last minute change, Will came to meet the star at the bottom of the stairs, as he took him to the studio through the back doors due to the gale-force winds.

READ MORE: Big Brother chaos as two housemates warned over offensive language in just two daysREAD MORE: Four Big Brother housemates face eviction as brutal ‘face-to-face’ nominations turn sour

He wasn’t the first to be evicted however, as in a shock 25th anniversary twist, Emily was booted out the house on the first night, as herself, Sam and Caroline had to decided between themselves who should leave.

Tonight, the weather was much calmer, as Cameron became the first housemate to leave through the front door.

Cameron B, Elsa, Richard and George faced eviction, but again things were thrown into chaos when George was removed for repeated use of offensive language and behaviour.

Despite George’s removal from the house, the eviction still went ahead, although the votes closed for a while, and refreshed. Prior votes did not count, and viewers were given five more votes.

Tonight, AJ and Will revealed that Cameron B was the third housemate to be evicted – and fourth to leave.

As Cameron joined the Late and Live, we got a glimpse of the house’s reaction, with Elsa elated she was safe. In a shock admission, she told Teja and Feyisola she was going to tell Marcus she loved him if she stayed.

The second live eviction came after a controversial week in the house. As well as George’s removal, housemate Caroline also received a warning from Big Brother after comments made towards Zelah and Nancy.

Zelah has been open about his transition with the housemates, but during a game of spin the bottle Caroline asked Nancy which housemate she would sleep with if they were trapped on a desert island and she “might be able to make babies to get a new civilisation.”

Nancy then asked Caroline if it had to be a guy, as Jenny said she was pansexual. “Is she pansexual? Do you like pans?” Caroline asked, as Zelah told her to just ask Nancy who she was most attracted to.

Nancy then answered Zelah, as Caroline responded: “She’s a girl. No you’re not!” she then added: “But you haven’t got a willy. Is that really bad? But I was talking about…I’m so sorry Z. Is that bad? That was bad wasn’t it? Oh no, I’m dead now. Is that bad?’”

Zelah was left in tears in the Diary Room, telling Big Brother: “I didn’t think it would affect me that much. That’s why I didn’t want to tell anyone from the get go, because once people know their true perceptions come out. But ‘she’s a girl’ was strong.”

Caroline profusely apologised, telling Big Brother she was “ashamed” of her comments and said she had no excuses for her behaviour.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

BIG Brother hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best have revealed a HUGE new twist that will see two familiar faces return.

On tonight’s show, Cameron B became the fourth housemate to be booted out of the house following a public eviction.

2

2

So far ITV2 viewers have said goodbye to Emily Hewertson, who was in the house for a few hours, and Gani Khan, who became the second housemate to be evicted last Friday.

And earlier this week, ITV bosses made the decision to axe George following “inappropriate behaviour and language”.

But now Big Brother has decided to bring back not one but TWO former housemates to shake things up.

After Cameron’s eviction, Will told viewers: “Now it’s finally time to reveal next week’s game-changing twist.”

AJ said: “Next Friday, two more late arrivals will go into the Big Brother house and they’re not just any late arrivals.”

Will explained: “Two former housemates who may have gone too soon will be going back through those doors.

“So make sure you watch tonight’s Big Brother Late and Live because we’re going to have all the info.”

Kicking things off on the after show, Will said: “What a night we’ve had so far. Three housemates face eviction and two former housemates are going back in next week.”

Big Brother fans raced to Twitter with their predictions.

One wrote: “EMILY AND GANI RETURN?!!!”

A second posted: “My theory on the bigggg twist is 4 out 4 in like in Timebomb series of Big Brother where one of Emily or Gani return.”

The 25-year-old Bolton lad Cameron B entered the House on Day Two, alongside three other newcomers.

Axed star George Gilbert, 23, had also been on the chopping block before his shock exit.

BOOTED OFF

The Sun revealed how the parish councillor was removed after ‘unacceptable language and behaviour’. 

Sources told The Sun that George left his co-stars horrified after making offensive comments which could be interpreted as antisemitic and was immediately called to the Diary Room and ejected from the house. 

“Everyone was absolutely disgusted,” an insider said.

“Nobody could believe what he said – he was clearly out to shock people.”

Since leaving the house, George has said: “As a flag bearer of freedom of speech I never hesitate to discuss and question any topic regardless of how contentious it may be.

“Sadly, the boundaries of what is deemed offensive are subjective and I evidently went too far this time by crossing their line one too many times.”

He added: “It is a shame that specific debate could not be had and that it has had to end like this.

“Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me.”

George has since made a return to social media following his departure from Big Brother.

The ex-housemate has since updated the privacy settings on his Instagram account to allow it to be public.

A previous brutal twist saw housemate Emily Hewertson evicted on the very first night.

The political events manager shot to fame last June when she was falsely accused of flinging a milkshake over Nigel Farage in Clacton-on-Sea. 

Memory-chip maker Micron (MU -2.68%) has historically been one of the most cyclical stocks in the chip sector. Memory is prone to boom and bust cycles as inventory levels and prices fluctuate according to supply and demand.

However, Micron has been one of the best performers in the semiconductor sector this year, a sign that investors may be underrating its momentum and that of the memory segment in the AI boom. Micron and its peers make high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips that are an essential component of AI, and that’s a key reason the stock has doubled this year, outpacing better-known industry players like Nvidia and AMD. That strength and momentum were on display in Micron’s fourth-quarter earnings report.

After raising its guidance in August, the company topped both its updated guidance and analyst estimates.

Image source: Getty Images.

Revenue in the quarter jumped 46% to $11.32 billion, which topped the consensus at $11.16 billion. The quarter capped off a year with similar growth and full-year revenue of $37.4 billion.

The company also fulfilled an earlier promise, made in March 2024, that Micron would be one of the biggest beneficiaries of AI in the semiconductor industry, and that it would deliver record revenue and significantly improved profitability for the year it just completed. It did just that.

In addition to the strong revenue growth, gross margin improved from 35.3% to 44.7%, reflecting the ramping up of high-value data center products and pricing strength in dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), which includes HBM.

Operating margin improved from 19.6% to 32.3% as it gained leverage on research and development and selling, general, and administrative expenses, and it reported adjusted earnings per share of $3.03, up from $1.18 in the quarter a year ago, and ahead of estimates at $2.86.

Micron stock was essentially flat on the report, but that seems to just be a reflection that high expectations were baked in after the stock rose roughly 40% in September coming into the report. Keep reading to see three reasons the stock can continue gaining.

1. Guidance shows results will get even better

Micron did not give guidance for the full fiscal year, but its outlook for the first quarter shows its momentum will continue into the current quarter.

It called for $12.2 billion to $12.8 billion in revenue, up 44% from the quarter a year ago at the midpoint and well ahead of the consensus at $11.83 billion. It also forecast gross margin to top 50% at 50.5% to 52.5% on an adjusted basis. The company’s gross margin has only been above 50% one other time before, during a boom in the late 2010s.

2. Supply remains tight

Supply/demand dynamics are kind in Micron’s business, so it’s good news that management sees supply remaining tight in the year ahead.

Micron was sold out of HBM capacity for this year by June 2024, and management continues to see a tight supply environment in fiscal 2026, especially as demand for AI capacity keeps accelerating.

That dynamic should support high prices for Micron’s products and strong margins into fiscal 2026. The company also said it expects to sell the remainder of its HBM supply for calendar 2026 in the coming months.

3. Micron is still a good value

Forward estimates on Micron have moved steadily upward, and should do so again following the latest earnings report. It now trades at a trailing price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 20, and a forward P/E of 12.5.

Compared to its peers in the AI sector, those are rock-bottom valuations, and it’s still growing faster than many of its chip stock peers. In fact, its revenue growth is now rivaling that of Nvidia.

The low valuation seems to reflect the previous boom-and-bust cycles in memory, but the AI era may have introduced a new paradigm for the sector. While the same underlying dynamics still exist, the size of the market now seems to be significantly larger, meaning Micron could have more years of booming growth ahead of it — good news for its investors.

PEP GUARDIOLA bizarrely KISSED fourth official Craig Pawson during Manchester City’s game with Arsenal.

City were leading 1-0 thanks to Erling Haaland’s ninth-minute opener at the Emirates.

1

And Guardiola’s men looked to be heading for the three points as the game entered the final stages.

Maybe City’s legendary manager was feeling too jubilant too early as he grabbed Pawson by the cheek and tried to give him a smooch on the cheek.

Pawson managed to just about swerve the peck but fans were still left absolutely baffled by Guardiola’s moment of madness.

One said: “Have I just seen Pep kiss the ref??”

Another added: “WHAT’S BLUD DOING!”

One asked: “Pep trying to kiss ref??”

Another said: “Did Guardiola just kiss the fourth official?”

Ironically, it was City who kissed their lead goodbye after Gabriel Martinelli levelled the game in injury time.

MORE TO FOLLOW

Lyles, dethroned as world 100m champion on Sunday as he took bronze, captured gold in his favoured discipline five days later to secure his eighth global title.

He had produced a statement performance in Thursday’s semi-finals, setting the fastest time of 2025 in 19.51 seconds.

After a final where he was just 0.01 seconds slower, he celebrated by raising four fingers to the crowd.

It was at the World Championships two years ago that Lyles asserted himself as the dominant male sprinter on the sport’s biggest stages with three golds in Budapest, before claiming the Olympic 100m title at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Prior to the championships, Lyles told reporters that he would take bronze in the 100m if it meant he would get 200m gold by breaking Bolt’s world-record time.

He got the gold – but Bolt’s record remains elusive for now.

Lyles’ American team-mate Kenny Bednarek had to settle for silver – his fourth in a row across the last four Olympic and world championships.

Bednarek and Lyles have a tempestuous relationship, and almost came to blows at the US trials when Lyles stared down his opponent in beating him to the 200m title, to which Bednarek responded with a shove.

Bronze went to 21-year-old Jamaican Bryan Levell, with Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo fourth. Britain’s Zharnel Hughes ran a season-best 19.78 for fifth.

WASHINGTON — Thousands of protesters marched across Washington, D.C., on Saturday in one of the largest demonstrations against President Trump’s federal takeover of policing in the nation’s capital.

Behind a bright red banner reading, “END THE D.C. OCCUPATION,” in English and Spanish, protesters marched more than two miles from Meridian Hill Park to Freedom Plaza near the White House to rail against the fourth week of National Guard troops and federal agents patrolling D.C.’s streets.

The “We Are All D.C.” protest — put together by local advocates of Home Rule and the American Civil Liberties Union — was perhaps the most organized demonstration yet against Trump’s federal intervention in Washington. The president justified the action last month as a way to address crime and homelessness in the city, even though city officials have noted that violent crime is lower than it was during Trump’s first term in office.

Trump targeted D.C. after deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles earlier this year as the administration ramped up its immigration enforcement efforts and attempted to quell protests. The White House then turned to Washington, which presented a unique opportunity for Trump to push his tough-on-crime agenda because of its subservient legal status to the federal government.

The presence of armed military officers in the streets has put Washington on edge and spurred weeks of demonstrations, particularly in D.C. neighborhoods. Trump’s emergency declaration taking charge of D.C. police is set to expire on Wednesday.

Mark Fitzpatrick, a former U.S. diplomat who has been a D.C. resident for about a decade, told the Associated Press on Saturday that he’s worried about the “authoritarian nature” in which the administration is treating his city.

“Federal agents, national guards patrolling our streets, that’s really an affront to the democracy of our city,” he said, adding that it’s worse for D.C. residents due to their lack of federal representation. “We don’t have our own senators or members of the House of Representatives, so we’re at the mercy of a dictator like this, a wannabe dictator.”

Among the protesters Saturday were also former D.C. residents like Tammy Price, who called the Trump administration’s takeover “evil” and “not for the people.”

Jun Lee, an artist living in Washington, showed up with a “Free DC” sign that she made on a woodcut block. She said she came to the protest because she was “saddened and heartbroken” about the effect of the federal intervention on her city.

“This is my home, and I never, ever thought all the stuff that I watched in a history documentary that I’m actually living in person, and this is why this is important for everyone. This is our home, we need to fight, we need to resist,” she said.

Also Saturday, Trump repeated threats to add Chicago to the list of other Democratic-led cities he wants to target for expanded federal enforcement. His administration is set to step up immigration enforcement in Chicago, similar to what took place in Los Angeles, and deploy National Guard troops. Like the District of Columbia, Chicago’s recent crime data do not reflect the war zones Trump has repeatedly compared it to.

Violent crime in Chicago dropped significantly in the first half of the year, representing the steepest decline in over a decade, according to city data. Shootings are down 37%, and homicides have dropped by 32%, while total violent crime dropped by over 22%.

In response to Trump’s threats, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, called the president a “wannabe dictator” who is “threatening to go to war with an American city.”

“This is not a joke,” Pritzker wrote on X. “This is not normal.”

Pesoli and Amiri write for the Associated Press and reported from Washington and New York, respectively.

This manifested through her forehand – another area where she has struggled to find consistency over the years – while her serve held up well.

Eleven unforced errors from the forehand took the first set away from her. Framing a return from that wing also proved pivotal in the second set.

The mishit brought up two more break opportunities for Osaka at 3-2, with Gauff’s more-reliable backhand letting her down on the first point indicated the pressure she was feeling.

For much of the match, it felt like a virtually-capacity 25,000 crowd were slightly conflicted in their support of two hugely popular players.

Gauff led the home challenge in terms of seeding and superstar status, but Osaka – despite representing Japan – grew up in the Queens borough of New York City where the tournament is held.

Both women have also endeared themselves to fans by eloquently using their voices to shine light on social issues including racism.

Sensing the younger player needed them more, the crowd tried to rally Gauff as she stared at defeat, but she was unable to recover and exited at the fourth-round stage for the second straight year.

“I felt so discombobulated on the court, because I was serving well but not returning well. The last two years, everybody can agree that’s like a weird thought,” said Gauff.

“I think there’s a lot of positives to take from this tournament and I’m trying to be positive.

“I promise you that, I don’t feel that way right now, but I am not going to let this crush me.”

Fin Graham won his fourth successive road race World Championship title as Great Britain’s Para-cyclists brought home nine medals from Belgium.

Graham, 25, launched an attack inside the final kilometre and held off France’s Thomas Peyroton Dartet to retain his C3 crown.

His victory came two days after he won time trial bronze in Ronse.

“To win a first world title back in 2022 was a dream come true, so to now be retaining that for the fourth year in a row, is something that I could never have imagined,” he said.

“To do it here in Belgium, with that crowd, was phenomenal. I was made to work for it; it was such a hard race.

“It has finished off a really good week for our squad. Retaining this title, as Paralympic champion, is very special. To race in the rainbow stripes for another year is still a pinch me moment. I’ll never get tired of looking down and seeing the rainbow bands.”

Earlier on Sunday, Sophie Unwin – with her pilot Jenny Holl – won bronze in the women’s B road race, while Morgan Newberry won the same colour in the C5 equivalent.

Those followed silvers for both riders on Friday in their respective time trials.

There was a bronze medal too for Archie Atkinson in the C4 road race, while Felix Barrow finished third in the T2 race.

On Thursday, Callum Russell became the first British man to win a World Championship hand bike medal when he won bronze in the H4 time trial.

Southern Brave finished fourth in The Hundred with a four-run win over bottom side Welsh Fire in Southampton.

Chasing 168, Tom Kohler-Cadmore scored 84 from 46 balls, the third-highest score in this season’s competition, but was dismissed on the 98th ball of the innings as Fire fell just short.

Jason Roy powered Brave’s innings, striking 70 from 39 deliveries as the home side closed on 167-7, before Craig Overton had Fire openers Stephen Eskinazi and Steve Smith caught inside the first five balls of the chase.

Kohler-Cadmore, who struck seven sixes and three fours, dragged his side back into contention, putting on an 81-run fifth-wicket partnership with Ben Kellaway.

He cleared the ropes off Jordan Thompson to put his side in the box seat needing seven from three balls, but was bowled from the following delivery.

The Brave all-rounder only conceded singles from his remaining deliveries to close out the match.

The result means both Welsh Fire sides finish bottom of their respective standings, after the women’s side lost to the same opponents earlier in the day.

In the group stage’s final match, Brave lost openers Toby Albert and James Vince in the space of four balls after being put into bat, and saw James Coles bowled by Kellaway for seven to leave them 34-3 shortly after the powerplay.

However, Roy, who twice hit back-to-back sixes in an innings full of powerful strokeplay, put on partnerships of 55 with Leus du Plooy and 38 with Laurie Evans to push Brave towards a strong total.

Roy and Evans fell along with Michael Bracewell for the cost of just two runs as Brave wobbled, but Jordan Thompson and Craig Overton added 38 from the last 18 balls of the innings, runs that would prove decisive.

Great Britain’s Ben Turner produced a stunning sprint finish at the Vuelta a Espana to claim his first ever Grand Tour stage win.

Turner won the fourth stage of the race – a 206.7km medium mountain route from Susa to Voiron – from Belgian duo Jasper Philipsen and Edward Planckaert, who finished second and third.

The 26-year-old – a late call up to the Vuelta when Ineos team-mate Lucas Hamilton pulled out through illness – powered to victory on a long, rising finish.

“It’s a crazy feeling. I really believed in myself today and trusted what I had to do,” said Turner, who picked up his third win as a professional.

France’s David Gaudu, who won the third stage, leads the overall standings having finished enough places in front of Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark to take the red jersey on count-back.

More to follow.

WASHINGTON — Joining forces from three other Republican-led states, the Mississippi National Guard will deploy 200 troops to Washington as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing federal policing and immigration overhaul in the nation’s capital.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement Monday that he has approved the deployment of approximately 200 Mississippi National Guard Soldiers to Washington, D.C.

“Crime is out of control there, and it’s clear something must be done to combat it,” Reeves said.

Mississippi joins three other states that have pledged to deploy hundreds of National Guard members to the nation’s capital to bolster the Republican administration’s operation to overhaul policing in the Democratic-led city through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness.

West Virginia said it was deploying 300 to 400 troops, South Carolina pledged 200 and Ohio said it will send 150 in the coming days, deployments that built on top of President Trump’s initial order that 800 National Guard troops deploy as part of the federal intervention.

Trump’s executive order that launched the federal operation declared a “crime emergency” in the District of Columbia and initiated a takeover Washington’s police department. The administration has ordered local police to cooperate with federal agents on immigration enforcement, orders that would contradict local laws prohibiting such collaboration.

“D.C. has been under siege from thugs and killers, but now, D.C. is back under Federal Control where it belongs,” Trump wrote on his social media website a day after issuing his order. “The White House is in charge. The Military and our Great Police will liberate this City, scrape away the filth, and make it safe, clean, habitable and beautiful once more!”

National Guard members in the District of Columbia have been assisting law enforcement with tasks including crowd control and patrolling landmarks such as the National Mall and Union Station. Their role has been limited thus far, and it remains unclear why additional troops would be needed.

Over the weekend in Washington, protesters pushed back on federal law enforcement and National Guard troops fanning out in the city. Scores of protesters gathered in the city’s Dupont Circle on Saturday and marched to the White House.

Brown and Pesoli write for the Associated Press.