Louis

How many fans that will be there to watch Wales this autumn remains to be seen with the current discontent surrounding the Welsh game.

There has been very little success on the field and disarray off the pitch in the past couple of years, with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) now preparing to cut a men’s professional side.

The Principality Stadium capacity is 74,500 meaning the four matches could attract 298,000 supporters in November.

A WRU statement read: “With more than 200,000 supporters expected to visit Cardiff over the four-match series, to match average attendances over the last 10 years, ticket sales are tracking well against targets for the Quilter Nations Series.

“Fans are keen to see Wales take on Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa on home turf.

“As you would expect, the All Blacks game is the best seller and Principality Stadium’s best chance of a sell-out this autumn.”

The new BBC documentary dives into the ‘truth of being a young woman thrust into the spotlight’

Perrie Edwards is set to reveal what it’s really like being part of a girl band.

After the success of last year’s Boybands Forever, BBC Two is launching its female equivalent, Girlbands Forever. The three-part documentary will explore ‘girl band fever throughout the 90s and beyond,’ featuring personal contributions from the Little Mix star, along with singers from Atomic Kitten, Sugababes and All Saints.

A preview for the upcoming programme provides a taste of what audiences can anticipate, with interview clips from some of the celebrity participants scheduled to appear. It delves into the nostalgic 90s and noughties period when ‘girl band fever’ was rampant, reports OK!

Presenter Sara Cox describes the period as an “era of young women suddenly having a voice,” before noting: “But it was a small window”.

The brief 25-second trailer also shows Perrie discussing the backstage challenges of Little Mix, who rose to stardom after triumphing on The X Factor. She disclosed: “We battled the social media trolls together.”

The girl group entered the limelight during the early 2010s, so their journey provides a unique viewpoint on the difficulties female bands encountered in the social media era.

According to the BBC, audiences can anticipate hearing from Heidi Range (Sugababes), Kelle Bryan (Eternal), Kerry Katona (Atomic Kitten), Melanie Blatt (All Saints), Perrie and Su-Elise Nash (Mis-Teeq).

The programme will also feature chats with industry names such as Andy McCluskey, Clara Amfo, Darcus Beese OBE, Lucie Cave, MNEK, Nicki Chapman, Pete Tong, Pete Waterman, Scott Mills and Tulisa.

Girlbands Forever is a product of Louis Theroux’s production house, Mindhouse. Ahead of the show’s debut, Louis expressed: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of making this wonderful series.

“I well remember when the Spice Girls, Eternal and All Saints burst on the scene in the 90s. It was a special time in pop music and British culture generally.”

He added: “Then in their wake came a parade of girl bands, made up of girls who were all in different ways beautiful, talented and often very funny.

“Going back and rediscovering all that music and those videos and the interviews they did has been an absolute pleasure.”

Girlbands Forever debuts on BBC Two and iPlayer on November 1.

To say that President Trump is unfazed by Saturday’s nationwide “No Kings” rally, which vies for bragging rights as perhaps the largest single-day protest in U.S. history, is the sort of understatement too typical when describing his monarchical outrages.

Leave aside Trump’s grotesque mockery of the protests — his post that night of an AI-generated video depicting himself as a becrowned pilot in a fighter jet, dropping poop bombs on citizens protesting peacefully below. Consider instead two other post-rally actions: On Sunday and Wednesday, “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth announced first that on Trump’s orders the military had struck a seventh boat off Venezuela and then an eighth vessel in the Pacific, bringing the number of people killed over two months to 34. The administration has provided no evidence to Congress or the American public for Trump’s claims that the unidentified dead were “narco-terrorists,” nor any credible legal rationale for the strikes. Then, on Monday, Trump began demolishing the White House’s East Wing to create the gilded ballroom of his dreams, which, at 90,000 square feet, would be nearly twice the size of the White House residence itself.

As sickening as the sight was — heavy equipment ripping away at the historic property as high-powered hoses doused the dusty debris — Trump’s $250-million vanity project is small stuff compared to a policy of killing noncombatant civilian citizens of nations with which we are not at war (Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador). Yet together the actions reflect the spectrum of consequences of Trump’s utter sense of impunity as president, from the relatively symbolic to the murderous.

“In America the law is king,” Thomas Paine wrote in 1776. Not in Trump’s America.

Among the commentariat, the president’s desecration of the East Wing is getting at least as much criticism as his extralegal killings at sea. Many critics see in the bulldozing of the People’s House a metaphor for Trump’s destructive governance generally — his other teardowns of federal agencies, life-saving foreign aid, healthcare benefits and more. The metaphor is indeed apt.

But what’s more striking is the sheer sense of impunity that Trump telegraphs, constantly, with the “je suis l’état” flare of a Louis XIV — complete (soon) with Trump’s Versailles. (Separately, Trump’s mimicry of French emperors now includes plans for a sort of Arc de Triomphe near Arlington Cemetery. A reporter asked who it would be for. “Me,” Trump said. Arc de Trump.)

No law, domestic or international, constrains him, as far as the convicted felon is concerned. Neither does Congress, where Republicans bend the knee. Nor the Supreme Court, with its 6-3 right-wing majority, including three justices Trump chose in his first term.

The court’s ruling last year in Trump vs. United States gives Trump virtual immunity from criminal prosecution, but U.S. servicemembers don’t have that protection when it comes to the deadly Caribbean Sea attacks or any other orders from the commander in chief that might one day be judged to have been illegal.

The operation’s commander, Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, reportedly expressed concerns about the strikes within the administration. Last week he announced his retirement after less than a year as head of the U.S. Southern Command. It could be a coincidence. But I’m hardly alone in counting Holsey as the latest casualty in Trump and Hegseth’s purge of perceived nonloyalists at the Pentagon.

“When the president decides someone has to die, the military becomes his personal hit squad,” military analyst and former Republican Tom Nichols said Monday on MSNBC. Just like with kings and other autocrats: Off with their heads.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a rare maverick Republican, noted on Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that in years past, the Coast Guard would board foreign boats suspected of ferrying drugs and, if contraband were found, take it and suspected traffickers into custody, often gleaning information about higher-ups to make a real dent in the drug trade. But, Paul added, about one in four boats typically had no drugs. No matter nowadays — everyone’s a target for deadly force. “So,” Paul said, “all of these people have been blown up without us knowing their name, without any evidence of a crime.” (Paul was the only Republican senator not invited to lunch with Trump on Monday in the paved-over Rose Garden.)

On Monday, Ecuador said no evidence connects a citizen who survived a recent U.S. strike to any crime. Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the United States of murdering a fisherman in a September strike, provoking Trump to call Petro a “drug leader” and unilaterally yank U.S. foreign aid. A Venezuelan told the Washington Post that the 11 people killed in the first known U.S. strike were fishermen; national security officials told Congress the individuals were headed back to shore when hit. Meanwhile, the three countries and U.S. news reports contradict Trump’s claims that he’s destroying and seizing fentanyl — a drug that typically comes from Mexico and then is smuggled by land, usually by U.S. citizens.

Again, no matter to America’s king, who said last week that he’s eyeing land incursions in Venezuela now “because we’ve got the sea very well under control.” Trump’s courtiers say he doesn’t need Congress’ authorization for any use of force. The Constitution suggests otherwise.

Alas, neither it nor the law limits Trump’s White House makeover. He doesn’t have to submit to Congress because he’s tapping rich individuals and corporations for the cost. Past presidents, mindful that the house is a public treasure, not their palace, voluntarily sought input from various federal and nonprofit groups. After reports about the demolition, which put the lie to Trump’s promise in July that the ballroom “won’t interfere with the current building,” the American Institute of Architects urged its members to ask Congress to “investigate destruction of the White House.”

Disparate as they are, Trump’s ballroom project and his Caribbean killings were joined last week. At a White House dinner for ballroom donors, Trump joked about the sea strikes: “Nobody wants to go fishing anymore.” The pay-to-play titans laughed. Shame on them.

Trump acts with impunity because he can; he’s a lame duck. But other Republicans must face the voters. Keep the “No Kings” protests coming — right through the elections this November and next.

Bluesky: @jackiecalmes
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Wales’ players will assemble at their training base on the outskirts of Cardiff on Monday, 27 October.

New head coach Steve Tandy will then begin his tenure with a match against Argentina on Sunday, 9 November, with Tests against Japan, New Zealand and South Africa to follow.

Those fixtures, which will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, represent a formidable first assignment for ex-Scotland defence coach Tandy.

He takes over a Wales side ranked 12th in the world and one that only broke an 18-match international losing sequence by beating Japan in Kobe in July.

“It’s been really exciting going through the whole process and realising how many good players we’ve got,” said Tandy.

“There’s a really good mix of some young guys coming in, mixed with some experience as well. But the overall feeling is really exciting and I can’t wait to get the boys into camp on Monday.

“It’s a new time and there are some new faces in and around the playing group as well.”

Carre has started the season strongly with Saracens, but was ineligible under Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) selection policy because he has 20 caps, five short of the required number for those playing for clubs outside Wales.

But in its statement confirming the squad, the WRU said Carre had been “included following confirmation by the Professional Rugby Board that he is eligible for Wales selection”.

Second rows Adam Beard and Dafydd Jenkins are back having missed the two-Test series in Japan over the summer because of being given a break and elective surgery respectively.

There are also returns for Jacob Beetham, Rhys Davies, Rio Dyer, Jarrod Evans, Joe Hawkins, Max Llewellyn and Nick Tompkins.

However, fellow lock Will Rowlands is not included having announced his retirement from international rugby shortly before the squad was published on Tuesday.

LOUIS Tomlinson has opened up about the death of Liam Payne and has revealed he’s struggling to come to terms with it.

Pop star Liam tragically died after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires in October last year.

The pair were firm friends after being in One Direction together from 2010 and 2016 and they continued their friendship after the band split up.

Speaking about the grief of losing Liam, Louis told The Independent: “I naively thought that, at this point, I’d unfortunately be a little bit more well versed with grief than other people my age.

“I thought that might mean something, but it didn’t at all. It’s something I’ll never really accept. I don’t think.”

Louis is no stranger to grief, having lost his mum Johannah Deakin in 2016, when she died of leukaemia at the age of 43.

SISTER’S BLAST

Liam Payne’s sister swipes at his ex over ‘people using his death for fame’

‘MY WORLD BURNED’

Liam Payne’s sister says she’s ‘paralysed by grief’ on death anniversary

Just three years later, his sister Félicité tragically died from an accidental overdose at the age of 18.

This isn’t the first time Louis has opened up about Liam as he recently spoke about him during an appearance on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast.

He told the Dragons’ Den star: “I could just go on and talk all day about how amazing he was, but I think we all looked up to him.

“I don’t think we would have been brave enough to say at that age when I was in the bnd, I think I would’ve had too much pride, but we all looked up to him massively.”

Speaking about the devastating moment he found out about Liam’s death, Louis said: “In the car, in LA. I found out through Niall [Horan].

“I had the same feeling that I had with Felicity, and I think anyone has this when they’re around someone who’s struggling; my 150 per cent wasn’t nearly enough.

“And that’s when it’s my own arrogance thinking that I could have helped really, because it was so much deeper than what I could have done for him. He was definitely struggling at that time in his life.”

Liam had flown to Argentina with girlfriend Kate Cassidy for a five-day holiday, to see his ex-1D bandmate Niall Horan in concert.

Liam extended the trip but Kate returned home to the US.

It is claimed Liam then turned to drink and drugs.

One Direction were formed on The X Factor in 2010, with Louis and Liam being joined in the band by Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik, who quit the band in 2015.

The boys came third on the ITV show and went on to sell over 70 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.

St. Louis Financial Planners Asset Management, LLC initiated a new stake in AbbVie (ABBV -1.04%), acquiring 14,630 shares for an estimated $3.39 million in Q3 2025.

What happened

According to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing dated October 02, 2025, St. Louis Financial Planners Asset Management, LLC disclosed a new position in AbbVie(ABBV -1.04%). The firm acquired 14,630 shares, bringing its quarter-end holding to $3.39 million. The position accounted for 2.1842% of the fund’s $155,093,822 in reportable U.S. equity assets across 37 positions.

What else to know

This new position represents 2.2% of the fund’s 13F assets as of 2025-09-30

Top holdings after the filing:

• NYSEMKT:BIL: $36.73 million (23.7% of AUM as of 2025-09-30)
• NYSEMKT:TFLO: $17.27 million (11.1% of AUM as of 2025-09-30)
• NASDAQ:BSCP: $10.45 million (6.7% of AUM as of 2025-09-30)
• NASDAQ:PLTR: $9.23 million (6.0% of AUM as of 2025-09-30)
• NASDAQ:AVGO: $5.16 million (3.3% of AUM as of 2025-09-30)

As of October 1, 2025, AbbVie shares were priced at $244.38, up 24.08% over the past year and outperforming the S&P 500 by 11.71 percentage points

Company Overview

Company Snapshot

AbbVie generates revenue primarily through the development, manufacturing, and sale of branded pharmaceuticals, including key products such as HUMIRA, SKYRIZI, RINVOQ, IMBRUVICA, and BOTOX Therapeutic.

The company operates a research-driven business model, focusing on innovation and the expansion of its drug portfolio across multiple therapeutic areas.

AbbVie serves a global customer base, including healthcare providers, hospitals, and government agencies, with a focus on advanced therapies for autoimmune diseases, oncology, and specialty care.

AbbVie discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals worldwide, including products for autoimmune diseases, oncology, and other conditions. Its diversified portfolio and commitment to research support its competitive position in the healthcare sector.

Foolish take

AbbVie is one of the top pharmaceutical companies on the market right now, despite its relatively recent loss of patent for Humira, which was a blockbuster drug for the company. Despite this, its dividend remains strong and its drug pipeline robust. Several new drugs are in the works for fields like immunology, oncology, and aesthetics.

Since its acquisition of Allergan, maker of Botox, AbbVie has been burdened with a higher debt load than usual, but equally high cash flows have kept balance sheets healthy. However, a dependence on a few successful drugs does create serious risk should regulation or pricing pressures become a more significant factor in the near term. Higher interest rates could also become a problem, should the company need to refinance the debt it acquired in 2019 with the purchase of Allergan.

Even so, AbbVie is still a solid Wall Street Buy recommendation, with 5 Strong Buys and 13 Buys for October, as well as 9 Hold recommendations. It continues to beat on analysis estimated EPS this year, showing that it can, in fact, pivot despite the loss of a major income stream.

Glossary

Stake: The ownership or investment a firm holds in a particular company or asset.
Reportable AUM: Assets under management that must be disclosed in regulatory filings, such as the SEC’s 13F report.
13F assets: U.S. equity securities managed by institutional investment managers, reported quarterly to the SEC on Form 13F.
Top holdings: The largest investments in a fund’s portfolio, typically ranked by market value.
Dividend yield: Annual dividends paid by a company as a percentage of its current share price.
Outperforming: Achieving a higher return than a benchmark index or comparable investment.
TTM: The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report.
Branded pharmaceuticals: Prescription drugs sold under a trademarked brand name, as opposed to generic versions.
Autoimmune diseases: Medical conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues.
Oncology: The branch of medicine focused on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Cuthbert believes Rees-Zammit is excelling after trying life in NFL.

“He is only going to benefit from coming back into rugby,” said Cuthbert.

“He has been in a high performance environment and knows exactly what it takes to play at this level.

“He has played rugby his whole life and has only been away 18 months, the game has not changed an awful lot.

“He has probably come back more experienced and professional. He was pretty laid back, but now he seems way more dedicated.

“It has probably opened his mind to a different way of seeing the game.”

Former Wales fly-half James Hook says Rees-Zammit has something his Welsh rivals don’t.

“He has that X-factor, that point of difference,” said Hook.

“You see some of the tries he scored before he left and since he has came back.

“To be fair, Wales’ back three have not done too bad with the likes of Tom Rogers, Blair Murray and Ellis Mee, but Zammit is just something a little bit different, with that little bit of class.

“He also puts people in stadiums and bums on seats.”

FORMER One Direction star Louis Tomlinson was duped by fraudsters in a £4million footie plot.

The Bigger Than Me singer became the face of Doncaster Rovers in the hope he could boost the profile of his childhood team and take them to the Premier League.

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But the 33-year-old had the wool pulled over his eyes by a gang who stole millions from people’s retirement nest eggs.

Over two years £3.7million had been funnelled from hard-earned pension pots belonging more than 200 victims.

Prosecutors said the proposed Doncaster deal was used by the thugs to cover up the missing cash to cops.

As reported by the Mirror, criminal gang Kevin Phelan, Daniel Giles and Adrian Bashforth were all convicted last month and face jail time.

The trial at Leeds Crown Court heard Louis unwittingly became involved with the scammers in 2014.

At the gang’s trial, prosecutor Timothy Hannam KC said: “These defendants nicked money from people’s life savings.”

Former club chairman John Ryan enlisted Louis’ help to bolster support for Doncaster at the time.

The club was insolvent and staying afloat by Ryan’s loans and other investors.

Seqentia Captial SA tried to buy it twice, but deals fell through on both occasions.

Ryan also asked crook Phelan, 62, if he wanted to buy the club in 2013.

Louis later met with the gang at his Cheshire pad at the height of 1D’s fame in 2014.

Ryan transferred his 30 per cent shareholding to Sequentia and resigned as Doncaster chairman.

The proposed deal stated 70 per cent of Doncaster would be given to Belize-based Sequentia Capital SA if the takeover was successful.

Louis and Ryan would become the club’s public face while Sequentia would be a “silent participant”.

The One Direction singer started a fundraiser and aimed to rake in an eyewatering £6million from his fans and followers.

But the crowdfunder only raised £600,000 in the end, and £500,000 of that was from one of the fraudulent gang members.

The source of the offshore firm’s funds was “stolen pension money”, the court heard.

Phelan met Louis at his home in January 2014 and Daniel Giles texted the same day: “I’ve been interrogated for the last few hours over 1D boy. Kids want to come to the next meeting mate.

“I’m thinking 16 million brainwashed followers. Very very interesting.

“Let’s crack on now together and build a nice fighting fund.”

The deal would also see Louis take a 10 per cent stake in the club with the hopes they would reach the Premier League.

The singer would show his support at games and behind the scenes.

He met with Phelan and Giles, 51, at a One Direction concert in Dublin’ to sign the deal, however it didn’t go through due to the lack of funds raised.

Louis said at the time: “I’m gutted the Doncaster deal is not going ahead. I am desperate for the club to be given the recognition it deserves.

“I was told the deal to buy the club was not dependent on the money raised by Crowdfunding. Unfortunately I was misled.”

There is no suggestion Louis or Ryan knew about the pension fraud.

The defendants will be sentenced in January.

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Sept. 12 (UPI) — More than 3,000 Boeing Co. machinists in St. Louis remain on strike after rejecting the latest contract offer from the aerospace company that seeks to end the strike that began on Aug. 4.

The defense contractor’s machinists rejected Boeing’s third contract offer on Friday and instead will continue the first walkout in nearly 30 years at the Missouri facility, CNBC reported.

“Boeing’s modified offer did not include a sufficient signing bonus relative to what other Boeing workers have received, or a raise in 401(k) benefits,” officials for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said in a statement, as reported by CNBC.

“The democratic vote underscores the determination of approximately 3,200 IAM Union members to continue their stand together until their voices are heard,” union officials said.

Friday’s vote nixed a proposed five-year contract that would have raised wages by 45% and paid each worker a $4,000 signing bonus, St. Louis Public Radio reported.

If approved, the St. Louis Boeing machinists would have had their average annual pay rise from $75,000 to $109,000, according to CNBC.

The contract offer would not have changed available vacation time or other benefits offered in two prior contract proposals.

The union said 57% of workers voted to reject the contract offer, which improved upon a prior offer that would have raised their wages by 20% and paid a $5,000 signing bonus.

Boeing Air Dominance Vice President Dan Gillian told CNBC that no additional contract talks are scheduled.

“We’ve made it clear the overall economic framework of our offer will not be changed,” Gillian said. “We have consistently adjusted the offer based on employer and union feedback to better address their concerns.”

Boeing is hiring workers to replace those who are on strike to help the firm meet rising demand for its products, which Gillian called its “contingency plan.”

The Boeing facility produces F-15 fighter jets and missile systems.

Boeing workers in Illinois also walked out on Aug. 4 after rejecting the company’s initial contract offer.

A Six Nations winner and a British and Irish Lions tourist, Rees-Zammit stunned rugby – including Warren Gatland – by revealing his shock NFL switch on the morning the Wales head coach was naming his Six Nations squad.

His 32 caps mean he is still eligible to play for Wales under the cap rule despite not signing for a Welsh region.

And new Wales head coach Steve Tandy has already hinted at a possible return as early as this autumn.

“You wouldn’t rule anything out. Zammo [Rees-Zammit] brings a big effect and excitement by coming back,” said Tandy.

In his absence Wales have fielded Josh Adams, Tom Rogers, Blair Murray, Rio Dyer, Ellis Mee, Josh Hathaway, Mason Grady and Keelan Giles but none have the star quality with a strike rate of 14 tries in 32 Tests.

“He’s a fantastic athlete with strength, speed, pace, he’s an X-factor player,” said former Wales fly-half James Hook.

“He has the attributes to compete with the best players in the world in his position.

“It doesn’t help that he would be coming into a Wales team struggling but he has that x-factor and stardust. I just hope he can live up to that.

“Payers like Henry Pollock, Marcus Smith, Finn Russell, Antoine Dupont, Cheslin Kolbe generate enthusiasm and a buzz around any team they play in.

“Louis fits into that category and if he had been available he would have been in with a shout for a starting Lions berth this summer. He is that good.”