Paul Rodgers, one of the original members of the English rock supergroup, announced Tuesday that he will miss the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday where Bad Company will be honored as part of the 2025 class.
“My hope was to be at the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and to perform for the fans, but at this time I have to prioritize my health,” Rodgers wrote in a statement posted to Bad Company’s Instagram page. The singer had planned to reunite with former bandmate and drummer Simon Kirke on stage to perform a couple songs at the ceremony.
While Rodgers did not elaborate on his health in the statement, in 2023 he told CBS News that he had suffered two major strokes in 2016 and 2019, as well as 11 minor strokes, which had temporarily stripped him of his ability to speak.
“I have no problem singing, it’s the stress of everything else,” Rodgers’ statement continued. “Simon along with some outstanding musicians will be stepping in for me — guaranteed to rock.”
Best known for hits such as “Can’t Get Enough,” “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Ready for Love” and, of course, “Bad Company,” the hard rock group formed in London in 1973. In addition to Rodgers and Kirke, who had played together in the rock band Free, Bad Company’s original members included guitarist Mick Ralphs and bassist Boz Burrell.
The band initially disbanded in 1982 but over the years reunited to record or tour, though not always with the same lineup. Rodgers and Kirke are Bad Company’s only surviving original members — Burrell died in 2006, followed by Ralphs this June.
In addition to Bad Company, the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees include Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Soundgarden and the White Stripes in the performer category. Additional inductees Salt-N-Pepa, Warren Zevon, Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye will all be honored either for musical influence or excellence, while Lenny Waronker is the recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award for lifetime achievement.
Polish director Jan Komasa might be best known in the United States for his 2019 Oscar-nominated film “Corpus Christi,” but his biggest box-office success was in Poland for his 2014 film “Warsaw 44,” about the Warsaw Uprising, the bloody effort by the Polish resistance to expel the occupying German army from the city toward the end of World War II.
Komasa knows authoritarianism in its most flagrant, brutal forms, but his new film “Anniversary” imagines a scenario in which fascism doesn’t stomp in, jackbooted, but creeps, pretty and ladylike, on kitten-heeled feet. It’s a thought experiment more than anything else, from a story by Komasa and Lori Rosene-Gambino, the latter who wrote the screenplay.
“Anniversary” maps five years in the life — and obliteration — of an American family, a microcosm of a larger rapid political devolution that turns suburban utopia into a dystopia with a speed that could make your head spin.
Meet the Taylors — we’ll get to know them across reunions and celebrations starting with an anniversary party for Ellen (Diane Lane) and Paul (Kyle Chandler). She’s a professor at Georgetown, a public intellectual caught up in the university culture-wars debate; he’s a chef, and they have four children upon whom they dote: Cynthia (Zoey Deutch, also in this week’s “Nouvelle Vague”), an environmental lawyer, Anna (Madeleine Brewer), a provocative comedian, high-school science nerd Birdie (Mckenna Grace) and brother Josh (Dylan O’Brien), a nebbishy, struggling writer. The camera knits them all together in long shots, swirling around their idyllic backyard.
Josh has brought home a new girlfriend, Liz (Phoebe Dynevor, of 2023’s “Fair Play”), who is carefully coiffed and poised, immaculately presented and mannered, though her perfection gives his sisters pause. After the introductions, she and Ellen have a quiet, awkward moment together. As one of Ellen’s former students, Liz wrote a thesis that scandalized the professor, which Ellen describes to her husband as having “radical anti-democratic sentiments,” advocating for a single-party system. The title? “The Change.”
While Liz says she “came here with the best of intentions” and claims she and Josh were introduced by their shared agent, Ellen is suspicious and rightly so. The enigmatic Liz is mild-mannered and quiet, but her ideas are anything but. As she hugs Ellen, she whispers, “I used to be afraid of you but I don’t think I am anymore.” That is never more clear than when she sends Ellen a copy of her newly published book, “The Change,” dedicated to “the haters, the doubters and the academic stranglers.”
Two years later, the Change is officially afoot. Liz is a celebrity, now working with a mysterious organization called the Cumberland Company. She and Josh are married, pregnant with twins, and he’s achieved a conservative glow-up. New flags are popping up in the Taylor’s well-heeled neighborhood and things are shifting in ways that make Ellen uncomfortable, enraged even. But in the spirit of politeness and family unity, she acquiesces to Paul’s desire for a nice family Thanksgiving, despite their political differences.
Therein lies what might be “Anniversary’s” biggest warning: Don’t let the fox into the henhouse, even if it seems rude not to. Ellen maintains an appropriately wary distance and skepticism of Liz, but Paul’s fatal flaw is his assumption of good faith. He hasn’t even read “The Change” because, frankly, he doesn’t want to know. But as Liz attaches herself to Josh like a parasite, perhaps in an attempt to enact revenge on her former professor, so too do the other Taylor children topple as the nation changes under their feet.
Some might find “Anniversary” too vague: What, precisely, is Liz’s political stance that makes her so powerful and so repugnant to Ellen? She has advocated for a “single-party system” branded under the guise of “solidarity,” but the result is an autocratic surveillance state that suppresses free speech, upheld by a violent paramilitary police force. The film never gets into the specifics, perhaps because the only ideology of fascism is the concentration of power. “Anniversary” suggests the rhetoric doesn’t matter when we can turn on each other so easily, humanity and freedom crushed under such a state.
It is fascinating that recent movies that attempt to grapple with contemporary sociopolitical issues often feminize the threat: the #MeToo cancel culture fable “Tár” or this year’s academia scandal film “After the Hunt.” “Anniversary” situates a nonthreatening woman as the vessel for such evil, even as Liz’s male host, Josh, starts to embody the most extreme outcomes of what she has set in motion.
“Anniversary” is a deeply nihilistic film that can’t be described as a cautionary tale — that horse has already left the barn. Rather, it’s a hypothetical question as character study, an examination of how this happens and an assertion that a system like this shows no mercy, not even to its most loyal subjects, despite what we want to believe.
Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.
‘Anniversary’
Rated: R, for language throughout, some violent content, drug use and sexual reference
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What is there left to know about Paul McCartney in 2025? Actually, quite a bit. The octogenarian megastar is seemingly ever-present, popping up on social media feeds with his affable avuncularity, his relentlessly sunny, two thumbs up ‘tude. Yet despite the steady trickle of Beatles scholarship that continues to be published, including Ian Leslie’s insightful book, “John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs,” earlier this year, McCartney is a cipher, a blank page. He has masterfully created the illusion of transparency, yet his life remains stubbornly opaque. Does the man ever lose his temper? Has he ever cheated on his taxes? If there is a chink in McCartney’s armor, we are still looking for it.
Denny Laine, Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney and Denny Seiwell in Osterley Park, London, in 1971.
(Barry Lategan / MPL Communications )
Yet according to this new book, an oral history of McCartney’s band Wings, there is still much to be excavated from what is the most examined life in pop music history, especially when it comes from the horse’s mouth. The book is ostensibly “authored” by McCartney even though it is an oral history that has been edited by Ted Widmer, an estimable historian and a former speechwriter for Bill Clinton. Widmer has also written third-person interstitial information to guide the reader through the story.
Stitching together interviews with McCartney, his wife Linda, erstwhile Beatles, and the various musicians and other key players who found themselves pulled into the Wings orbit across the nearly decadelong tenure of the band, “Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run” is a smooth, frictionless ride across the arc of McCartney’s ’70s career, when he continued to mint more hits, and secured a lock on a massive career that is presently in its 55th year.
Joe English, Jimmy McCulloch, Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney and Denny Laine in 1976.
(Clive Arrowsmith / MPL Communications)
Hard as it is to fathom, McCartney has had pangs of doubt concerning his art and career, never more so than in the immediate aftermath of the Beatles’ breakup in 1970, when he found himself at loose ends, unsure of how to follow up the most spectacular first act in show business history. In the immediate aftermath of that epochal event, McCartney retreated to a 183-acre sheep farm on the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyllshire, Scotland, with his wife Linda and their young family. According to the book, there was uncertainty about his ability to write songs that could stand alongside his Beatles work. Hence, his first solo offering, “McCartney,” was mostly tentative, half-baked notions for songs, interlaced with a few fully realized compositions like “Maybe I’m Amazed,” all recorded by McCartney in his home studio.
Home recording sessions for the McCartney album in London, 1970.
But the gentleman farmer couldn’t stay down on the farm for long. Eventually, the old impulse to be in a band and to perform became McCartney’s new imperative, but he would go about it in an entirely different way. No more camping out in Abbey Road studios, the Beatles’ favorite laboratory, hiring out string sections and horn sections, ruminating over tracks for as long as it took. McCartney would instead take an incremental DIY approach, starting modestly and progressing accordingly. Instead of meticulously recording tracks, records would be dashed off spontaneously. Bob Dylan became a kind of North Star for how to approach a record: “Bob Dylan had done an album in a week,” says McCartney in the book. “I thought, ‘That’s a good idea.’’’
Paul McCartney, Wings Over the World tour, Philadelphia, 1976.
(Robert Ellis / MPL Communications)
It was around this time that McCartney hired Denny Laine, who became (aside from wife Linda) the only full-time member of Wings for the duration of the band’s life. The two had met years earlier, when the Beatles were partying in Birmingham with Laine and his band the Diplomats. “Truth be told, I needed a John,” McCartney admits in the book. The first Wings album, “Wild Life,” recorded in a barn on McCartney’s Scotland farm, was critically savaged, but listening to it now, it retains a certain homespun charm, the amiable slumming of a master musician tinkering with various approaches because he can and because it’s fun. A short tour of universities around the U.K. further contributed to the low-key vibe that McCartney was intent on maintaining; he was waiting for the right time to pounce on the American market, specifically, and reclaim his mantle as the King of Pop.
1973’s “Band on the Run” would be the album that cracked it wide open again for McCartney, but he was still in a rambling mood, this time eager to try one of EMI’s studios in Lagos, Nigeria. “It wasn’t the sort of paradise we thought it would be,” McCartney is quoted in the book, “but it didn’t matter, because we were basically spending a lot of time in the studio.” Once in Africa, Paul, Linda and Denny Laine were mugged, their tapes stolen. Another night, they were guests of the master afrobeat musician Fela Kuti, who invited the three to his Afrika Shrine club for an indelible performance: “It hit me so hard,” says Paul. “It was like boom, and I’ve never heard anything as good, ever, before or since.”
McCartney II recording sessions, Lower Gate Farm, Sussex, 1979.
“Band on the Run” became an international smash and McCartney once again found himself playing arenas and stadiums with yet another iteration of Wings. It is also at this point that the story of Wings settles into a more of an “album-tour-album” narrative, save for a harrowing drug bust for pot in Japan on the eve of a Wings tour in January 1980, when McCartney spent nine days in jail. “I had all this really good grass, excellent stuff,” explains McCartney, who had cavalierly packed it in his suitcase. Once in jail he had to “share a bath with a bloke who was in for murder,” organizing “singsongs with other prisoners” until his lawyers arranged for his release. The bust would presage the dissolution of Wings; McCartney would release a solo album, “McCartney II,” in May.
Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Denny Seiwell and Denny Laine. Promotional photo shoot for “Wild Life,” 1971.
How you feel about the albums that Wings made after 1975’s excellent “Venus and Mars” will perhaps affect your judgment of the back half of “Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run.” But even a charitable fan will have a hard time making a strong claim for the albums that followed 1975’s “Venus and Mars,” which includes “London Town,” “At the Speed of Sound” and “Back to the Egg.” The book’s best stuff is to be found at the start, when the superstar was making his first baby steps toward renewed relevance, and then found it.
Weingarten is the author of “Thirsty: William Mulholland, California Water, and the Real Chinatown.”
Scholes initially kept his son’s diagnosis secret during his playing career and revealed he was dropped by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson while attempting to handle the situation privately.
“I never got a break from it, even when playing – it was very hard in those days,” Scholes, one of United’s key players in the 1999 Treble season, added.
“I don’t think they diagnosed it until he was two-and-a-half years old. But you knew early something was wrong, but then you get the diagnosis, and I’d never heard of it.
“I remember the first time after it, we were playing Derby away and I just didn’t want to be there.
“I remember the manager dropped me the week after, and I hadn’t told anyone. I ended up telling them a few weeks later, as it was quite hard.
“Even now, I don’t want sympathy or anything. I just thought, even if I did speak to someone about it, it’s not going to help Aiden.
“The big concern now is, because you’re getting a bit older, what happens when you’re not here? That’s the thing that’s now on my mind all the time.”
Autism spectrum disorder – its medical name – is the name for a range of conditions that affect how a person communicates and interacts with the world around them, as well as their interests and behaviour.
It is not a disease or an illness, but a condition that somebody is born with, and it is estimated that one in every 100 people in the UK is autistic.
Richard Alexander Murdaugh came up in a prominent family, both in the legal and social realms of Hampton County, S.C. He attended the University of South Carolina and graduated from its law school, just like his father. Three generations of Murdaugh men served as the circuit solicitor, the South Carolina equivalent of a district attorney, for a region spanning five counties in the state. Randolph Murdaugh Sr. was the first in the family to assume the role in 1920. The family held such power in the region that many locals called the district “Murdaugh Country.”
Alex was a respected personal injury attorney before being convicted of the murders of his wife Maggie and youngest son Paul in 2023. He will spend the rest of his life in prison for the killings but maintains his innocence and is currently appealing his conviction. He also admitted to committing a slew of financial crimes, for which he was cumulatively sentenced to more than 60 additional years in prison.
The family law firm he previously worked for, Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick, was renamed the Parker Law Group. Alex’s older brother, Randolph “Randy” Murdaugh IV, still works at the firm.
Maggie Murdaugh
Margaret Kennedy Branstetter Murdaugh, who went by Maggie, was mother to sons Paul and Buster. She met her husband Alex when she was a student at the University of South Carolina in 1991, and they married in 1993.
She was 52 when she and Paul were shot and killed in 2021 at the family’s hunting property in Colleton County. Alex and Maggie were reportedly living separately at the time of her death.
Paul Murdaugh, pictured here in court in a still from the documentary “Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty,” faced significant prison time for allegedly boating under the influence.
(HBO Max)
Paul Murdaugh
Paul Terry Murdaugh was born on April 14, 1999, to Alex and Maggie. He grew up with a love of the outdoors and enjoyed hunting alongside his father and older brother. He was 22 and in his junior year at the University of South Carolina when he was killed.
Paul reportedly abused alcohol as a teenager and young adult, and his friends have said they called his intoxicated alter ego “Timmy” because his behavior changed significantly when he was drinking. In February 2019, Paul was accused of being behind the wheel of his family’s boat while drunk, crashing the boat into a bridge in the early hours of the morning. There were five other people on board with Paul, and one passenger, 19-year-old Mallory Beach, was killed in the crash.
Paul, who was also 19 at the time, had a blood-alcohol level three times over the legal limit when he was hospitalized after the crash. He was charged with felony boating under the influence two months later. He was murdered alongside his mother in 2021 before the trial for the charges he faced in connection with the crash could begin.
Buster Murdaugh
Born Richard Alexander Murdaugh Jr., the eldest Murdaugh son went by “Buster.” He attended Wofford College for his undergraduate studies and went on to study law at his parents’ alma mater, the University of South Carolina. By the spring of 2021, Buster had been kicked out of law school, reportedly for low grades and plagiarism.
Following the deaths of his mother and brother, Buster surfaced in news reports after increased interest in the family unearthed a loose connection between him and a man named Stephen Smith, a former classmate who was killed in 2015. Rumors of an intimate relationship between Smith and Buster, and of the Murdaughs’ involvement in his death, swirled, but Buster denied the allegations.
When his father was on trial for the murders of Paul and Maggie, Buster testified as a witness for the defense, saying that his father’s behavior on the night of the killings and the following weeks was not abnormal. He also said Alex was “heartbroken” on the night they died.
Buster married his longtime girlfriend Brooklynn White in May 2025. His wife is an attorney, but Buster never returned to law school.
Buster Murdaugh, left, and his then-girlfriend Brooklynn White at the double murder trial for his father. He testified in his father’s defense.
(Jeff Blake / Associated Press)
Randolph Murdaugh III
Randolph Murdaugh III was Alex’s father and one of the men who established the Murdaugh family’s legal prominence. Like his father and grandfather, Randolph served as the solicitor of the 14th judicial circuit in South Carolina, which serves Allendale, Colleton, Hampton, Beaufort and Jasper counties. In addition to Alex, Randolph had three other children with wife Elizabeth “Libby” Alexander Murdaugh: Lynn Goettee, Randolph Murdaugh IV and John Marvin Murdaugh. The couple had 10 grandchildren.
When Paul got into the boat crash in 2019, Randolph was his first call. A year earlier, Randolph was honored with the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor awarded by the governor of South Carolina. A testament to his influence, the award recognizes lifetime achievements and contributions to the state.
He died in June 2021 after a long period of health problems — three days after Paul and Maggie were murdered.
Mallory Beach and her family
Beach was a teenager from South Carolina who was described by friends and family as a loving young woman with dreams of becoming an interior designer. She and her boyfriend, Anthony Cook, were friends with Paul, and in February 2019 the couple boarded the Murdaugh family boat with a few other friends before it crashed into a bridge in Beaufort, S.C.
Beach’s body was missing after the crash and was recovered about a week later. Her family brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the Murdaughs, which eventually cracked open inquiries into Alex’s finances. The family later settled with Maggie’s estate and Buster in 2023 for an undisclosed amount. They were brought into the case because Paul used Maggie’s credit card and Buster’s ID to buy alcohol. The Beach family also reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the convenience store chain where Paul purchased the alcohol, and in 2024, Alex’s insurance company agreed to pay the family $500,000.
Gloria Satterfield
Satterfield was the Murdaugh’s longtime housekeeper and nanny, who had a maternal-like relationship with Paul and Buster. She was the widow of David Michael Satterfield and had two sons, Michael “Tony” Satterfield and Brian Harriott.
In February 2018, Satterfield allegedly tripped and fell at the Murdaugh’s home and was hospitalized for weeks before she died at 57. Alex and Maggie were mentioned by name in Satterfield’s obituary as “those she loved as her family.”
When the cause of Satterfield’s death was being investigated, Murdaugh claimed Satterfield tripped over the family’s dogs, causing her to fall and hit her head, and he encouraged her two sons to bring a wrongful death claim against him. Murdaugh introduced Satterfield’s sons to Cory Fleming, a fellow lawyer, who represented them in the case and schemed with Murdaugh to collect on his homeowner’s insurance policies. The settlement was reportedly more than $4 million, none of which Satterfield’s sons saw.
Fleming was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for his involvement in the scheme and Murdaugh admitted to orchestrating the plot and intercepting the insurance payout meant for Satterfield’s family, depositing the money directly into his personal account. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison for that crime, plus a slew of other financial crimes he pleaded guilty to in 2023.
Stephen Smith
Smith was born in Lexington County, S.C., and attended Wade Hampton High School, where he was classmates with Buster Murdaugh, graduating in 2014. He was found dead on a rural road in Hampton County in July 2015, and his death was initially ruled as a hit and run.
In 2021, South Carolina law enforcement reopened Smith’s case based on leads uncovered in the Murdaugh double homicide investigation. The Murdaugh name was mentioned over 40 times throughout the course of the investigation, according to a report from FITSNews, a local outlet. Detectives reportedly looked at Buster as a possible person of interest in the case, who was rumored to have been romantically involved with Smith, but the connection was never proved and Buster was never named a suspect.
The Great British Bake Off judges Dame Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood have opened up about their judging roles on the popular Channel 4 show and how they’re perceived by viewers
Prue Leith has jumped to the defence of her co-star, Paul Hollywood(Image: Channel 4)
Prue Leith has leapt to the defence of her fellow judge, Paul Hollywood, over his so-called “horrible” image on The Great British Bake Off. Speaking from the iconic tent at Welford Park in Berkshire, the Bake Off judges shed light on their roles and how they’re seen by fans of the Channel 4 programme.
Prue, a South African-born restaurateur, pointed out that they’re perceived quite differently by the public, with her being seen as “kind” and Paul as “horrible”, but when it comes down to the brass tacks of scoring, they’re pretty similar.
The chef disclosed that their chat about the bakes in Cake Corner is generally to “inform and remind” the viewers, as, in reality, Prue and Paul could “do it in two seconds”.
Prue told Radio Times magazine: “The audience often say that I’m kind and Paul’s horrible, but if you look at our scores out of 10, we’re never more than one point apart. I think I’ve given one 10 in nine years… I can’t remember to who though!”.
She continued: “I used to say, ‘It’s not worth the calories’. That is my absolute judgment about any baking, because you know it’s full of fat and sugar, so: ‘Do I really want to eat this? Am I prepared to get fat?'”
However, it appears Prue had a change of heart regarding this particular remark, as people would say they “felt judged” for enjoying cake and thought she was being “fattist”.
Paul stated: “I’ve never given a 10, only a 9.5. A handshake is very close to a 10. These are amateur bakers, but if they get a handshake from me, it means it’s very professional.”
Prue added that Paul often claims he won’t be giving out any handshakes, but inevitably his hand will “come out” when a bake is so impressive that he “can’t resist”. She also mentioned the idea of her own version, the “Prue pat”.
In other developments, Paul, who has been on the show since 2010, reportedly showed a different side away from the cameras. Briony May Williams, who came fourth in the 2018 series, broke down in tears when “every element” of her showstopper went awry.
On the show, the chef labelled her creation “a disaster” as she “overcooked” the mirror glaze and was unfortunately left with uncooked pastry. However, Paul’s off-camera actions revealed a gentler side.
She disclosed: “I never got a [Paul Hollywood] handshake. I did, however, get a Hollywood hug off-camera when I was really upset about my cake on Cake Week, my showstopper, because it was really bad.
“I was upset, I was sat on my bench crying and I realised someone was stood behind me and I turned around and it was Paul.
“He gave me a really big hug and he said, ‘It’s okay it’s only a f*****g cake’. And yeah, that just really made me laugh.”
You can catch The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice on Channel 4 on Friday, October 24, from 8pm to 9pm.
Rowley spent four years in charge of Leigh between 2012 and 2016 before spending two years as head coach of Toronto Wolfpack.
He initially joined Salford as a coaching consultant in 2019 and stepped up to the top job for the 2022 campaign.
His first three seasons in charge brought two play-off finishes but any hopes of building on those in 2025 were scuppered by a litany of off-field issues.
The Red Devils were beset by financial problems, which led to the vast majority of the senior playing squad leaving and Rowley being forced to pull together sides week to week.
Against that chaotic backdrop they managed three Super League wins and ended with two points deducted for failing to fulfil a fixture against Wakefield.
Before their final game of the season last month he admitted that he was “relieved to have reached the end of the year.”
“I’m pretty proud that I managed to get the team to the finish line,” Rowley told BBC Radio Manchester as he reflected on the 2025 season.
“That’s a bit sad really because you should never want the finish line to come in rugby league where the last game is the most important.
“Everybody at the club, certainly the staff, have been immense. I’m surrounded by good people. My staff have become my best friends and I think the moral compass of the staff at this club is unparalleled.”
Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state, is likely to extend his 43 years in power in the Central African nation.
Polls have opened in Cameroon in an election that could see the world’s oldest serving head of state extend his rule for another seven years.
The single-round election on Sunday is likely to return 92-year-old incumbent Paul Biya as president for an eighth term in the Central African nation of 30 million people.
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Biya, in power for 43 years, faces off against 11 challengers, including former government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 79, who has generated unexpected momentum for a campaign calling for an end to the leader’s decades-long tenure.
Bakary – a close ally of Biya for 20 years, who resigned from the government in June to join the opposition – is considered the top contender to unseat the incumbent after another leading opponent, Maurice Kamto, was barred from the race.
But analysts predict Biya’s re-election, given his firm grip on state machinery and a divided opposition.
‘Divide to rule’
“We shouldn’t be naive. We know full well the ruling system has ample means at its disposal to get results in its favour,” Cameroonian political scientist Stephane Akoa told the AFP news agency, while noting that the campaign had been “much livelier” in recent days than previous versions.
“This poll is therefore more likely to throw up surprises,” he said.
Francois Conradie, lead political economist at Oxford Economics, told the Reuters news agency that while “a surprise is still possible”, “a divided opposition and the backing of a formidable electoral machine will, we predict, give the 92-year-old his eighth term”.
“Biya has remained in power for nearly 43 years by deftly dividing his adversaries, and, although we think he isn’t very aware of what is going on, it seems that the machine he built will divide to rule one last time,” Conradie said.
Biya – who has won every election in the past 20 years by more than 70 percent of the ballot – ran a characteristically low-profile campaign, appearing in public only on Tuesday for the first time since May, AFP reported.
His sole rally in Maroua, the regional capital of the strategic Far North region, drew a crowd of just a few hundred people, far smaller than a rally in the same city by Bakary this week, which drew thousands, AFP said.
‘We want change’
Cameroon is Central Africa’s most diversified economy and a significant producer of oil and cocoa.
But voters in a country where about four people in 10 live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank, complain about the high cost of living, high unemployment and a lack of clean water, healthcare and quality education.
“For 43 years, Cameroonians have been suffering. There are no jobs,” Hassane Djbril, a driver in the capital, Yaounde, told Reuters.
He said he planned to vote for Bakary. “We want change because the current government is dictatorial.”
Herves Mitterand, a mechanic in Douala, told Reuters that he wanted to see change.
“For me, things have only gotten worse,” he said. “We want to see that change, we want to see it actually happen. We don’t want to just keep hearing words any more.”
The vote takes place in the shadow of a conflict between separatist forces and the government that has plagued the English-speaking northwest and southwest regions since 2016.
More than eight million people have registered to vote. The Constitutional Council has until October 26 to announce the final results.
Comedian and TV star Paul O’Grady was set to be the host of Britain’s Got Talent and even have the show named after him until things got very heated behind the scenes
13:47, 07 Oct 2025Updated 13:47, 07 Oct 2025
Paul O’Grady was set to be the host of Britain’s Got Talent before Ant and Dec(Image: TV Times via Getty Images)
Former Britain’s Got Talent judge Piers Morgan has revealed Paul O’Grady was meant to be the host for the hit talent show, until things went very wrong. The controversial broadcaster was part of the original line up on Simon Cowell’s talent show back in 2007.
Music mogul Simon was inspired by former talent shows including Opportunity Knocks and New Faces as he wanted to create a competition for people of any age and location to enter. He wanted a range of personalities on the judging panel with him, and first settled on Piers and Fern Britton.
Piers admitted: “I owe him a lot actually because I would not have had any career in America without him. He has been great for me. He said ‘I am going to bring back an old all-round talent show like New Faces, Opportunity Knocks and The Gong Show in America. It can be any talent’.”
The broadcaster explained: “We did a pilot at ITV. Paul O’Grady was the host. The judging panel was Simon Cowell, me, and Fern Britton. It was about to be greenlit as a prime-time ITV show.”
Piers said he was ready “to get back in the game” but things quickly took a turn and the production was halted. He said: “Then Paul O’Grady had a massive falling out with ITV, told them to shove it and went to Channel 4.”
At the time, the Paul O’Grady Show moved over to Channel 4 and ITV stopped him being able to rent their studios. Paul decided to refuse all work with the network following the row.
He explained years later: “I did the pilot for Britain’s Got Talent – which was originally going to be called Paul O’Grady’s Got Talent. But I told the producers they were having a joke if they thought I would front a show with that title.
“The original panel of judges was going to be Simon Cowell, Fern Britton and Piers Morgan. I was the host. Then when I had the row with ITV I was banned from the studios.
“I remember I rang Simon and told him he had a huge hit on his hands, but there was no way I could do it. I said, if I am banned I have to be banned from everything. I can’t be a hypocrite and come in and do this. I had to bow out.”
Paul added: “I don’t regret what I did. Not in the slightest. Good luck to them.” He did also manage to patch things up with ITV and returned years later with Paul O’Grady Live!.
Paul’s decision to boycott ITV meant Britain’s Got Talent was hit with a huge delay and Simon decided to kick off with America’s Got Talent first. Simon enlisted Piers again as he wanted “someone who is judgmental, opinionated, obnoxious and arrogant” as him.
Britain’s Got Talent hit screens a year later with Simon, Piers and Amanda Holden as judges and Ant and Dec as hosts. Piers said on The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket show: “He had literally come up with the entire concept of Got Talent on a napkin at the Ivy in Kensington.
“Bring back a talent show. Have a tough mean judge, a mother hen figure, a funny person and any talent goes. Now the Got Talent franchise is in more than 60 countries around the world. It changed my life.”
Usman Nurmagomedov broke the heart of Irishman Paul Hughes with another contentious points win to retain his PFL lightweight world title on Friday in Dubai.
Eight months after Nurmagomedov was cast as a lucky winner at the same venue, the Russian was again a narrow victor in the rematch as Hughes produced a brilliant performance over five rounds.
The scorecards did not reflect a close battle as the judges saw it 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47 for Nurmagomedov.
“You want to say this fight was close too? I feel I won every round, but it was a very tough fight with tough opponent. I did not underestimate him, I think he underestimated me,” Nurmagomedov said.
Hughes, 28, fought expertly at close range and was a clear winner of rounds two and three, keeping his cool when Nurmagomedov headbutted him after the bell at the end of the first round.
The Irishman was hit with several low blows in round one and four which appeared to slow his progress and were rounds that Nurmagomedov pocketed.
But Hughes recovered each time and rocked Nurmagomedov on several occasions including with a superb kick and body shot combination in the third and a big right hand in the closing stages.
With Hughes mixing his striking, landing knees and short right-handed punches, UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, the cousin of Usman, could be heard screaming at top volume for Usman to respond.
Khabib’s appeals appeared to fall on deaf ears as Usman elected to showboat during spells of the fight.
Paul C Brunson called MAFS bride Sarah out on her behaviourCredit: Channel 4
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Sarah began to cry following Paul’s commentsCredit: Channel 4
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Sarah tried to justify her behaviour to DeanCredit: Channel 4
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The MAFS experts pulled Sarah up for her behaviour towards Dean at last night’s dinner partyCredit: E4
Tonight the experts called Sarah out at the first Commitment Ceremony.
They were left disgusted at her behaviour during last night’s dinner party, as they thought she had acted disrespectfully towards Dean, after she complained to the other couples about her husband’s appearance.
It came after Sarah told everyone she spoke to that there was “no spark” or “attraction there” and doesn’t think there ever will be.
The girls confirmed that she had the “ick” while the boys persuaded her to give him a chance as he is a “lovely guy”.
But Sarah was having none of it.
This evening, viewers watched as Married At First Sight expert Paul pulled her up on her behaviour.
“What are you willing to change?,” he asked Sarah.
“Do you think that you were rude while talking about your partner at the dinner party?”
Not holding back Paul continued: “| get the challenge around physical attraction, but where you absolutely lost me is when you went around gossiping about your husband to other people and you were laughing at it.”
But Sarah didn’t take well to the criticism and she started to cry after she and Dean made the decision to “stay” in the experiment.
MAFS ‘most hated bride’ breaks down in tears after fat-shaming groom
Sobbing she said: “It was really hard to hear what Paul had to say and I apologize, and yeah, I’m sorry, it’s not me, it’s not who I am.
“And maybe if I did have that spark, I wouldn’t have said anything like that because I wouldn’t have.
But there’s not the spark there, so that’s, that was the only reason why I said it.”
Fully crying now, Sarah continued: “I haven’t meant it maliciously at all. I don’t want to hurt anyone.
“I’m being true to myself, but then it’s coming across really badly.”
More so than with other directors, it’s always tempting to overly psychologize Paul Thomas Anderson’s films, looking for traces of his personal development and hints of autobiography: the father figures of “Magnolia” or “The Master,” the partnership of “Phantom Thread,” parenthood in the new “One Battle After Another.” Yet two things truly set his work apart. There’s the incredibly high level of craft in each of them, giving each a unique feel, sensibility and visual identity, and also the deeply felt humanism: a pure love of people, for all their faults and foibles.
Anderson is an 11-time Academy Award nominee without ever having won, a situation that could rectify itself soon enough, and it speaks to the extremely high bar set by his filmography that one could easily reverse the following list and still end up with a credible, if perhaps more idiosyncratic ranking. Reorder the films however you like — they are all, still, at the very least, extremely good. Simply put, there’s no one doing it like him.
Perhaps nothing marks Anderson as a filmmaker from the ’90s as much as his impeccable use of music, from the drowned-in-sound deluge of “Boogie Nights” to his ongoing collaboration with Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood as a composer. So just to add to the arguability of the following list, we’ve also noted a favorite song or two from each movie, the song titles often becoming surprise summations of the plots themselves.
This list is made in good faith, without any purposeful stuntery (honest). Feel free to let us know how your opinions vary.
SANTA BARBARA — “In this next song,” said Paul McCartney, “we’d like you to sing along.”
Oh, this was the one?
By an hour or so into his concert Friday night at the Santa Barbara Bowl — basically somebody’s backyard by the standards of the former Beatle — McCartney had already gotten the capacity crowd to join in on a bunch of all-timers including “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “Love Me Do,” “Jet,” “Getting Better,” “Lady Madonna,” “Let Me Roll It” and “Got to Get You Into My Life.”
But for Sir Paul, even (or especially) at age 83, there’s always a way to take an audience higher.
So as his keyboard player plunked out the song’s lovably lopsided lick, McCartney and his band cranked through a fast and jumpy rendition of “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” that left nobody any choice but to hop up and holler about the sweet certainty of life’s going on.
Paul McCartney and his band.
(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
A sellout pretty much as soon as it was announced, Friday’s show was a kind of warm-up gig ahead of the launch next week of the latest leg of McCartney’s Got Back world tour, which began criss-crossing the globe in 2022 and will resume Monday night in Palm Desert after a nine-month break.
On the road he’s playing arenas and stadiums, but this hillside amphitheater seats only 4,500 or so; to make the evening even more intimate, fans had to lock their phones in little pouches on the way into the venue. (The presence of several cameras swooping around on cranes suggested that McCartney was filming the concert for some unstated purpose.)
“That’s our wardrobe change of the evening,” he said at one point after taking off his jacket, and indeed this was a slightly trimmed-down version of the flashy multimedia production that he brought to SoFi Stadium three years ago. That night in 2022, he played three dozen tunes over two and a half hours; on Friday he did a dozen fewer — no “Maybe I’m Amazed,” no “Band on the Run” — in about an hour and 45 minutes.
The advantage of the smallness, of course, was that you could really hear what McCartney and his longtime backup band were doing up there: the folky campfire vocal harmonies in “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” the propulsive groove driving “Get Back,” the barely organized chaos of a downright raunchy “Helter Skelter.”
Then again, that assumes that tracking those details is why anybody turned up in Santa Barbara.
Though he dropped an album of new solo songs in 2020, McCartney has been pretty deep in nostalgia mode since the 2021 release of Peter Jackson’s widely adored “Get Back” docuseries. He’ll tend the machine this fall with a new book about his years with Wings and an expanded edition of the Beatles’ mid-’90s “Anthology” series; next year, a documentary about the Wings era is due from director Morgan Neville; in 2028, director Sam Mendes will unveil the four separate biopics he’s making about each Beatle, with Paul Mescal in the role of McCartney.
Paul McCartney takes the stage.
(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)
All that looking back can make it hard for even a devoted fan to take in the legend standing before them in the flesh; instead of overwriting memories with fresh information, the mind steeped in myth can train itself to do the opposite (especially when the owner of that mind has shelled out hundreds of bucks for a concert ticket).
Yet you have to hand it to McCartney, whose face bore a dusting of silvery stubble on Friday: As predetermined as this audience was to have a good time, he was tapped into the energy of a musician making minute-to-minute decisions.
He opened the show with a zesty take on the Beatles’ “Help!,” which experts on the internet say he hadn’t played in concert since 1990, then followed it up with one of his quirkiest solo tunes in the disco-punk “Coming Up,” which he juiced with a bit of Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn” theme.
After a flirty “Love Me Do,” he asked the women in the crowd to “gimme a Beatles scream,” then nodded approvingly at the sound. “Imagine trying to play through that,” he added.
“Jet” had a nasty swagger and “I’ve Got a Feeling” a sexy strut; “Live and Let Die,” meanwhile, was just as trashy as you’d hope.
McCartney told moving if familiar stories about meeting Jimi Hendrix and about his mother coming to him in the dream that inspired “Let It Be”; he also told one I’d never heard about screwing up a performance of “Blackbird” — “Lot of changes,” he said of the song’s complicated guitar part — in front of Meryl Streep. Because his wife Nancy was in the house, he said, he played “My Valentine,” a weepy piano ballad anyone but Nancy probably would’ve gladly exchanged for “Junior’s Farm” or “Drive My Car.”
But then what was that choice if not a commitment to the circumstances of the moment?
IF you’re eyeing up a wardrobe refresh, we’re predicting that the Paul Smith Black Friday 2025 sale will be one of the hottest tickets in town.
The iconic British label is known for its sharp tailoring, bold prints, and those unmistakable signature stripes — and this November, we’re expecting some seriously tempting deals to land.
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We’re hoping for designer discounts in the Paul Smith Black Friday sale this yearCredit: Paul Smith
Paul Smith Black Friday deals
Paul Smith’s Black Friday event has become a must-watch for fashion fans, and with the brand keeping its cards close to its chest, anticipation is building.
Stay tuned as we break down everything you need to know about Paul Smith’s best Black Friday deals UK — from when the sales will kick off, to which pieces are worth snapping up before they’re gone.
If you want designer style without the designer price tag, this is one sale you’ll want on your radar.
Live Paul Smith deals
Luckily for bargain hunters, there are plenty of Paul Smith deals available from a range of different retailers.
Here are just a few of our favourite deals you can snap up today:
PS Paul Smith short sleeve seersucker shirt in khaki, £52.20 (was £175) from Asos – buy here
PS Paul Smith short sleeve seersucker shorts in khaki, £54.25 (was £155) from Asos – buy here
Paul Smith 3 pack trunks in black, £27.30 (was £42) from Asos – buy here
PS Paul Smith Happy Straight-Leg Jeans, £34 (was £170) from Flannels – buy here
Paul Smith Seer Trousers, £65 (was £325) from Flannels – buy here
PS Paul Smith Suede Lace-Up Tobruk Boots, £75 (was £250) from Flannels – buy here
PS Paul Smith Multi Colour Zag Sleeve Cardigan, £129 (was £260) from Flannels – buy here
PS Paul Smith Kinsey Canvas Trainer Ladies, £85 (was £120) from Flannels – buy here
PS Paul Smith Happy Hoodie Womens, £139 (was £200) from Flannels – buy here
When is Black Friday 2025?
Mark your calendars – this year, Black Friday falls on Friday, November 28.
Savvy shoppers will want to start saving now – the big day will be here before you know it!
Remember to shop smart and compare prices across different stores.
Paul Smith gear can often be nabbed at ASOS, Flannels, and House of Fraser – all of which typically slash prices during Black Friday.
Our top tip? Check all these retailers before hitting the checkout button to ensure you’re getting the absolute best deal possible.
Of course, there’s more to Black Friday than just bagging bargains – but who doesn’t love designerthreadsat high street prices?
Is Paul Smith taking part in Black Friday this year?
TheluxuryBritish brand is keeping its plans forBlack Friday2025 close to its chest.
But based on previous years, bargain-hunting fashionistas can almost certainly look forward to snagging some designer Paul Smith deals during November’s shopping extravaganza.
While no official announcement has dropped yet, savvy shoppers should bookmark thePaul Smith websitenow and sign up for theirnewsletterto be first in line when those stylish discounts land.
Don’t forget to check other retailers too!
ASOS,Flannels, andHouse of Fraserall stock Paul Smith gear and typically slash prices during Black Friday – giving you even more chances to bag signature stripes andluxurythreadsfor less.
We’ll be updating this page with all the hottest Paul Smith deals and discounts as soon as they drop, so keep checking back if you’re eyeing up something special.
What deals to expect in the Paul Smith’s Black Friday sale 2025?
Last year, the luxury British brand slashed prices by a massive 30% off selected products on its official website.
In previous years, fashion enthusiasts could purchase gorgeous gear using an exclusive discount code that applied to everything – men’s wear, women’s wear, kids’ wear, homeware, and all those must-have accessories.
While the discounts might not be as dramatic as some high street retailers – let’s face it, Paul Smith is proper posh – even a 30% saving on designer threads is nothing to sniff at!
Savvy shoppers should hit the Black Friday sales early rather than waiting for Cyber Monday – the best bits always get snapped up quickly, and nobody wants to miss out on those iconic stripes.
We’ll be updating this guide with all the latest bargains as soon as they drop, so keep your eyes peeled if you’re after some designer gear that won’t cost a fortune this November.
What was in Paul Smith’s sale last year?
Fashion fans were treated to some MASSIVE discounts in the 2024 Paul Smith Black Friday sales.
The official Paul Smith website slashed prices with a whopping 30% off selected items across the board.
Shoppers could bag serious bargains using an exclusive Black Friday code, which unlocked discounts on everything from sharp suits to signature striped accessories.
Smith goodies were also available at major retailers, including ASOS, Flannels, and House of Fraser, with many offering exclusive Black Friday deals on the British designer’s collection.
When is Cyber Monday 2025, and is Paul Smith taking part?
The luxury British brand hasn’t officially confirmed whether it’ll be joining the Cyber Monday action yet, but if Paul Smith offers Black Friday deals, you can bet they’ll still be offering discounts when Monday rolls around.
As mentioned earlier, Black Friday (November 28) is typically when brands launch their biggest discounts, which continue across the weekend until midnight on Cyber Monday.
If you spot that signature striped scarf or sharp suit with a decent discount on Black Friday, don’t hang about hoping for bigger savings on Cyber Monday – the best bits always get snapped up fast!
Remember that Paul Smith gear is also stocked at ASOS, Flannels, and House of Fraser – all worth checking for exclusive deals that might offer better prices than the official site.
Watch this space for all the latest Cyber Monday deal updates from Paul Smith right here in our guide.
You can select either DPD Express Delivery or DHL Express Delivery options for an additional fee of £5.
DPD Express Delivery guarantees your parcel will arrive within 1–2 days – perfect for impatient fashion lovers, while the DHL Express Delivery option ensures your items will be delivered to your door within 1–3 days.
Just a heads up – the Paul Smith website does warn: “During sale and busy periods, some services will not be available in the checkout and orders will be shipped in minimal packaging.”
They also add: “If you’ve shopped in one of our sales, please allow an additional three working days for dispatch.”
So don’t panic if your Black Friday bargains take a little longer to arrive!
Remember, if you’re purchasing Paul Smith items from other stockists, such as ASOS or House of Fraser, the delivery options and costs may differ – always check before you check out.
Does Paul Smith offer any other discounts?
The British fashion house has a handy price match policy that works on items sold cheaper by official stockists.
The fancy fashion brand states: “The price match guarantee only applies to full-price items, inclusive of sales tax, and includes seasonal reductions and/or any special promotions.
“Products must be the exact style, material, colour, size and be available to purchase on both websites. Our online prices include VAT but exclude delivery charges and any other services.”
Want to know exactly how it works? You can read the full details of the Paul Smith price match policy on their website.
Searching for more discounts? New shoppers can also sign up to the Paul Smith newsletter – perfect for getting cheeky discounts on designer purchases you’ve been eyeing up!
Where to shop for Paul Smith Black Friday 2025 deals?
From the Paul Smith website to leading fashion retailers, there are plenty of places to search for potential Paul Smith Black Friday deals.
Below is a rundown of some of the most popular high street and online retailers to browse when the sales start.
More Luxury Fashion Deals
Are Paul Smith clothes true to size?
Yes, Paul Smith’s clothes are generally true to size.
The brand offers an extensive suit fit guide and jeans fit guide online to help shoppers, along with shoe fitting advice.
You can also make use of the brand’s in-store personal shopping services to ensure you find the perfect fit.
Though if you are dissatisfied, you can return your order.
What is PS by Paul Smith?
PS is a second Paul Smith collection, including apparel, denim, footwear, and accessories for both men and women, which has a more youthful feel.
This second line still uses the confident bold colours, unique prints, and sharp tailoring you’d expect from Paul Smith.
PS Paul Smith is also stocked on ASOS, as well as other retailers, and is considered a slightly more affordable range from the luxury brand.
Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis were set to throw down on November 14 in AtlantaCredit: NETFLIX
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But Paul and his promotional company have withdrawn event permits and rule waivers requests required to stage the bout in GeorgiaCredit: GETTY
The fight, which has been maligned due to the immense height and weight differences between the pair, was slated to take place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
But it’s seemingly now in need of a new venue after Most Valuable Promotions, which was founded by Paul and his business partner Nikisa Bidarian, withdrew event permits and rule waivers required to stage the bout in the state.
Chairman of the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission Rick Thompson revealed the news.
He told USA Today: “I believe it’s in the public’s interest to know that because they’ve been promoting something they should not have been.”
Despite MVP’s withdrawal of the necessary event permits, tickets for the fight are still available and it’s still listed on State Farm’s official website.
But Robert A. Sinners, the Communications Director for the Office of Secretary of State, insisted: “[The fight] will not be happening here.”
Neither Paul, nor Bidarian have commented on the major issue.
Bidarian, however, has teased an imminent announcement regarding the fight.
He wrote on X early on Monday morning: “Major Jake Paul vs Tank Davis event announcement this Wednesday.”
Former Disney star Paul was last in action in June against ex-WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, over whom he laboured to a decision victory.
Dillon Danis calls out Jake Paul after slamming ‘joke’ Gervonta Davis fight and says rival is ‘stealing people’s money’
And ‘The Problem Child’ is champing at the bit to share the ring with Davis.
He said: “Gervonta is an angry little elf who has been disrespecting my name for too long.
“His nickname might be ‘Tank’, but I’m an FPV drone and I’m about to disable his a**.
“Yes, he is one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, but my motto is anyone, anytime, anyplace, against all odds.
“And I like my odds. First, I am going to kill David, then I will go on to slaughter Goliath.”
