planned

Tens of thousands of people are converging on the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad for a commemoration of the victims of a tragedy a year ago that killed 16 people.

Regular student-led protests have gripped Serbia since the collapse of the canopy at the newly renovated railway station in the country’s second largest city on November 1, 2024, which became a symbol of entrenched corruption.

Protesters first demanded a transparent investigation, but their calls soon escalated into demands for early elections.

Students, who called for the “largest commemorative gathering” on Saturday, and others, have been pouring into Novi Sad since Friday, arriving by car, bicycle, or on foot.

Thousands marched from Belgrade for some 100km (62 miles) and other parts of the country, including Novi Pazar, about 340km (210 miles) south of the capital. It took them 16 days to finish the march.

Residents of Novi Sad took to the streets to greet the marchers, blowing whistles and waving flags, many visibly moved.

Reporting from the city on Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Milena Veselinovic said local residents have provided marchers with food and shelter.

She added the student organisers of the event have stressed they want it to be peaceful and only about the victims, rather than the country’s politics.

‘I am looking for justice’

Dijana Hrka’s 27-year-old son was among the victims.

“What I want to know is who killed my child so I can have a little peace, so that I don’t keep going through hell,” she told Al Jazeera.

Hrka added: “I am looking for justice. I want no other mother to go through what I am going through.”

The protests over the station’s collapse have led to the resignation of the prime minister, the fall of his government and the formation of a new one. But nationalist President Aleksandar Vucic has remained defiantly in office.

Vucic regularly labelled demonstrators as foreign-funded coup plotters, while members of his SNS party pushed conspiracy theories, claiming that the train station roof collapse may have been an orchestrated attack.

But in a televised public address on Friday, Vucic made a rare gesture and apologised for saying things that, he said, he now regretted.

“This applies both to students and to protesters, as well as to others with whom I disagreed. I apologise for that,” Vucic said and called for dialogue.

Saturday’s commemorative rally at the Novi Sad railway station will start at 11:52am (10:52 GMT), the time when the tragedy occurred, with 16 minutes of silence observed for 16 victims.

Thirteen people, including former construction minister Goran Vesic, were charged in a criminal case over the collapse.

A separate anticorruption probe continues alongside a European Union-backed investigation into the possible misuse of EU funds in the project.

‘Sky high’ corruption

The government has declared Saturday a day of national mourning while the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), Patriarch Porfirije, is to serve a mass for the victims at the Belgrade Saint Sava church.

“On this sad anniversary, we appeal to everyone … to act with restraint, to de-escalate tensions and to avoid violence,” the EU delegation in Serbia said in a statement.

Aleksandar Popov, a Serbian political analyst, told Al Jazeera that “sky-high” corruption is a major issue in the country that needs to be addressed.

“We’re not talking about tens of millions of euros, but hundreds of millions of euros spun through large infrastructure projects, perhaps billions of euros,” he said.

“This government and the president have captured all key institutions of state, like the judiciary,” he added.

The protests have remained largely peaceful, but, in mid-August, they degenerated into violence that protesters blamed on heavy-handed tactics by government loyalists and police.

North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui praised the ‘spiritual closeness’ between the two states.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has met North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in the latest high-level engagement between the two countries, which have strengthened ties during the Ukraine war.

Footage released by Russian state news agencies showed Putin greeting Choe in the Kremlin on Monday. Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov also appeared at the meeting.

Putin said the countries’ “relations and development prospects” are progressing “according to plan”, and extended regards to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to Russia’s Sputnik news agency. Choe, in turn, passed on “warm wishes” from Kim, having earlier praised the “spiritual closeness” of the two nations’ relationship in talks with Lavrov.

Russia and North Korea, both under extensive Western sanctions, have significantly bolstered ties in recent years, including signing a 2024 defence pact committing each country to provide military support to the other in the event of “aggression”.

Since then, North Korea has sent around 10,000 troops to join Russia’s war against Ukraine, at least 600 of whom have died in combat, according to estimates from Seoul and Kyiv.

Pyongyang first acknowledged its soldiers’ involvement in the war in April, saying they helped Russia retake its strategic Kursk region after a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Several days ago, Kim held a ceremony marking the opening of a museum in Pyongyang to honour the North Korean troops killed in the conflict. He said their deployment “marked the beginning of a new history of militant solidarity” with Russia, with which there is an “invincible” alliance.

Putin last met Kim in person on September 3 in Beijing, where the leaders held official talks after attending a military parade hosted by China’s President  Xi Jinping. At the time, Putin praised North Korean soldiers for fighting “courageously and heroically” in the Ukraine war.

“I would like to note that we will never forget the sacrifices that your armed forces and the families of your servicemen have suffered,” Putin said.

The deepening Russia-North Korea relationship has drawn concern from the United States, which says there is evidence that Russia is increasing technology support for North Korea, including in space and satellite programmes. After Putin and Kim’s September meeting, US President Donald Trump claimed they were conspiring against the US – a statement dismissed by the Kremlin.

Pregnancy centers in the U.S. that discourage women from getting abortions have been adding more medical services — and could be poised to expand further.

The expansion — including testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and even providing primary medical care — has been unfolding for years. It gained steam after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade three years ago, clearing the way for states to ban abortion.

The push could get more momentum with Planned Parenthood closing some clinics and considering shutting others after changes to Medicaid. Planned Parenthood is not just the nation’s largest abortion provider, but also offers cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and other reproductive health services.

“We ultimately want to replace Planned Parenthood with the services we offer,” said Heather Lawless, founder and director of Reliance Center in Lewiston, Idaho. She said about 40% of patients at the antiabortion center are there for reasons unrelated to pregnancy, including some who use the nurse practitioner as a primary caregiver.

The changes have frustrated abortion rights groups, who, in addition to opposing the centers’ antiabortion messaging, say they lack accountability; refuse to provide birth control; and offer only limited ultrasounds that cannot be used for diagnosing fetal anomalies because the people conducting them don’t have that training. A growing number also offer unproven abortion-pill reversal treatments.

Because most of the centers don’t accept insurance, the federal law restricting release of medical information doesn’t apply to them, though some say they follow it anyway. They also don’t have to follow standards required by Medicaid or private insurers, though those offering certain services generally must have medical directors who comply with state licensing requirements.

“There are really bedrock questions about whether this industry has the clinical infrastructure to provide the medical services it’s currently advertising,” said Jennifer McKenna, a senior advisor for Reproductive Health and Freedom Watch, a project funded by liberal policy organizations that researches the pregnancy centers.

Post-Roe world opened new opportunities

Perhaps best known as “crisis pregnancy centers,” these mostly privately funded and religiously affiliated centers were expanding services such as diaper banks ahead of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, which overturned Roe.

As abortion bans kicked in, the centers expanded medical, educational and other programs, said Moira Gaul, a scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of SBA Pro-Life America. “They are prepared to serve their communities for the long term,” she said in a statement.

In Sacramento, for instance, Alternatives Pregnancy Center in the last two years has added family practice doctors, a radiologist and a specialist in high-risk pregnancies, along with nurses and medical assistants. Alternatives — an affiliate of Heartbeat International, one of the largest associations of pregnancy centers in the U.S. — is some patients’ only health provider.

When the Associated Press asked to interview a patient who had received only non-pregnancy services, the clinic provided Jessica Rose, a 31-year-old woman who took the rare step of detransitioning after spending seven years living as a man, during which she received hormone therapy and a double mastectomy.

For the last two years, she’s received all her medical care at Alternatives, which has an OB-GYN who specializes in hormone therapy. Few, if any, pregnancy centers advertise that they provide help with detransitioning. Alternatives has treated four similar patients over the last year, though that’s not its main mission, director Heidi Matzke said.

“APC provided me a space that aligned with my beliefs as well as seeing me as a woman,” Rose said. She said other clinics “were trying to make me think that detransitioning wasn’t what I wanted to do.”

Pregnancy centers expand as health clinics decline

As of 2024, more than 2,600 antiabortion pregnancy centers operated in the U.S., up 87 from 2023, according to the Crisis Pregnancy Center Map, a project led by University of Georgia public health researchers who are concerned about aspects of the centers. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 765 clinics offered abortions last year, down more than 40 from 2023.

Over the years, pregnancy centers have received a boost in taxpayer funds. Nearly 20 states, largely Republican-led, now funnel millions of public dollars to these organizations. Texas alone sent $70 million to pregnancy centers this fiscal year, while Florida dedicated more than $29 million for its “Pregnancy Support Services Program.”

This boost in resources is unfolding as Republicans have barred Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds under the tax and spending law President Trump signed in July. While federal law already blocked the use of taxpayer funds for most abortions, Medicaid reimbursements for other health services were a big part of Planned Parenthood’s revenue.

Planned Parenthood said its affiliates could be forced to close up to 200 clinics.

Some already had closed or reorganized. They have cut abortion in Wisconsin and eliminated Medicaid services in Arizona. An independent group of clinics in Maine stopped primary care for the same reason. The uncertainty is compounded by pending Medicaid changes expected to result in more uninsured Americans.

Some abortion rights advocates worry that will mean more healthcare “deserts” where the pregnancy centers are the only option for more women.

Kaitlyn Joshua, a founder of abortion rights group Abortion in America, lives in Louisiana, where Planned Parenthood closed its clinics in September.

She’s concerned that women seeking health services at pregnancy centers as a result of those closures won’t get what they need. “Those centers should be regulated,” she said. “They should be providing information which is accurate, rather than just getting a sermon that they didn’t ask for.”

Thomas Glessner, founder and president of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, a network of 1,800 centers, said the centers do have government oversight through their medical directors. “Their criticism,” he said, “comes from a political agenda.”

In recent years, five Democratic state attorneys general have issued warnings that the centers, which advertise to people seeking abortions, don’t provide them and don’t refer patients to clinics that do. And the Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether a state investigation of an organization that runs centers in New Jersey stifles its free speech.

Different services than Planned Parenthood

Choices Medical Services in Joplin, Mo., where the Planned Parenthood clinic closed last year, moved from focusing solely on discouraging abortion to a broader sexual health mission about 20 years ago when it began offering STI treatment, said its executive director, Karolyn Schrage.

The center, funded by donors, works with law enforcement in places where authorities may find pregnant adults, according to Schrage and Arkansas State Police.

Schrage estimates that more than two-thirds of its work isn’t related to pregnancy.

Hayley Kelly first encountered Choices volunteers in 2019 at a regular weekly dinner they brought to dancers at the strip club where she worked. Over the years, she went to the center for STI testing. Then in 2023, when she was uninsured and struggling with drugs, she wanted to confirm a pregnancy.

She anticipated the staff wouldn’t like that she was leaning toward an abortion, but she says they just answered questions. She ended up having that baby and, later, another.

“It’s amazing place,” Kelly said. “I tell everybody I know, ‘You can go there.’”

The center, like others, does not provide contraceptives — standard offerings at sexual health clinics that experts say are best practices for public health.

“Our focus is on sexual risk elimination,” Schrage said, “not just reduction.”

Mulvihill and Kruesi write for the Associated Press.

WASHINGTON — Plans are on hold for President Trump to sit down with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to talk about resolving the war in Ukraine, according to a U.S. official.

The meeting had been announced last week. It was supposed to take place in Budapest, although a date had not been set.

The decision was made following a call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The official requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

The back-and-forth over Trump’s plans are the latest bout of whiplash caused by his stutter-step efforts to resolve a conflict that has persisted for nearly four years.

Lee writes for the Associated Press. This is a developing story that will update.

WASHINGTON — Protesting the direction of the country under President Trump, people gathered Saturday in the nation’s capital and hundreds of communities across the U.S. for “ No Kings ” demonstrations.

This is the third mass mobilization since Trump’s return to the White House and comes against the backdrop of a government shutdown that not only has closed federal programs and services, but is testing the core balance of power as an aggressive executive confronts Congress and the courts in ways that organizers warn are a slide toward American authoritarianism.

Trump himself is away from Washington at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

“They say they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in a Fox News interview airing early Friday, before he departed for a $1-million-per-plate MAGA Inc. super PAC fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago. Protests were expected nearby Saturday.

More than 2,600 rallies are planned Saturday in cities large and small, organized by hundreds of coalition partners.

Republicans are countering the nationwide street demonstrations by calling them “hate America” protests.

A growing opposition movement

While the earlier protests this year — against Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts in spring, then to counter Trump’s military parade in June — drew crowds, organizers say this one is building a more unified opposition movement. Top Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and progressive leader Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are joining in what organizers view as an antidote to Trump’s actions, including the administration’s clampdown on free speech and its military-style immigration raids in American cities.

“There is no greater threat to an authoritarian regime than patriotic people-power,” said Ezra Levin, a co-founder of Indivisible, among the key organizers.

As Republicans and the White House try to characterize the mass protests as a rally of radicals, Levin said the sign-up numbers are growing. Organizers said rallies are being planned within a one-hour drive for most Americans.

Rallies were also held in major European cities, where gatherings of a few hundred Americans chanted slogans and held signs and U.S. flags.

‘Crooks and con men’ and fears of police response

Retired family doctor Terence McCormally was heading to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia to join up with others Saturday morning and walk across the Memorial Bridge that enters Washington directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. He thought the protests would be peaceful but said the recent deployment of the National Guard makes him more leery about the police than he used to be.

“I really don’t like the crooks and con men and religious zealots who are trying to use the country” for personal gain, McCormally said, “while they are killing and hurting millions of people with bombs.”

Republicans denounce rallies

Republicans have sought to portray participants in Saturday’s rallies as far outside the mainstream of American politics, and a main reason for the prolonged government shutdown, now in its 18th day.

From the White House to Capitol Hill, GOP leaders disparaged the rallygoers as “communists” and “Marxists.”

They say Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are beholden to the far-left flank and willing to keep the government shut down to appease those liberal forces.

“I encourage you to watch — we call it the ‘Hate America’ rally — that will happen Saturday,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

“Let’s see who shows up for that,” Johnson said, saying he expected attendees to include “antifa types,” people who “hate capitalism” and “Marxists in full display.”

In a Facebook post, Sanders said, “It’s a love America rally.”

“It’s a rally of millions of people all over this country who believe in our Constitution, who believe in American freedom and,” he said, pointing at the GOP leadership, “are not going to let you and Donald Trump turn this country into an authoritarian society.”

Democrats in Congress have refused to vote on legislation that would reopen the government as they demand funding for healthcare, which has been imperiled by the massive GOP spending bill passed this summer. Republicans say they are willing to discuss the issue only after the government reopens.

But for many Democrats, the government closure is also a way to stand up to Trump and try to push the presidency back to its place in the U.S. system as a coequal branch of government.

The situation is a potential turnaround from just six months ago, when Democrats and their allies were divided and despondent, unsure about how best to respond to Trump’s return to the White House. Schumer in particular was sharply criticized by many in his party for allowing an earlier government funding bill to sail through the Senate without using it to challenge Trump.

In April, the national march against Trump and Musk — who was then leading the White House government-slashing group known as the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — had 1,300 registered locations. In June, for the first “No Kings” day, there were 2,100 registered locations.

“What we are seeing from the Democrats is some spine,” Levin said. “The worst thing the Democrats could do right now is surrender.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said he wasn’t sure if he would join the rallygoers Saturday, but he took issue with the Republicans’ characterization of the events.

“What’s hateful is what happened on Jan. 6,” he said, referring to the 2021 Capitol attack, in which a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the building in an attempt to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden. “What you’ll see this weekend is what patriotism looks like.”

Mascaro, Riddle and Freking write for the Associated Press. Riddle reported from Montgomery, Ala. AP writer Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.

A MAJOR theme park that will transport visitors to previous decades is planned for one of the most-visited cities in the world.

Named RetroEscapes, the new theme park would be based in Las Vegas, America and claims it would be the world’s first retro theme park.

The attraction would be split into five lands, with each dedicated to a different decade – 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Then there would be an additional zone, that would allow a “glimpse into the unknown future“.

Once open, the theme park would include immersive attractions, rides, activities, dining, shopping and live entertainment – all themed around the five decades.

Social media influencer Daniel Leo Jr is behind the theme park which he has been working on with his father for the past seven years.

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Announcing the news on his Instagram, Danie-Leo Jr said: “When you enter the park, you will begin your journey through the time travel portal and then from there you will be transported back to the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.

“The park will be anchored by the Fountain of Youth, that will feature a nightly firework and laser light show spectacle, that will celebrate the icons of American pop culture, through the decades.”

Little details about the theme park have been officially confirmed, but the company has released a lot of concept art revealing what could possible appear at the attraction.

In ‘The Fabulous 50s’ land, there would be ‘The King’ diner that appears to be a tribute to rock and roll legend Elvis Presley.

There would also be a ‘Monroe Cocktail Bar’ in this land, dedicated to icon Marilyn Monroe.

In this land, it looks like there will be a car water-based ride as well.

Heading onto ‘Peace & Love 60s’, the art shows there would be a ‘Yello Submarine Coffee House, perhaps as a tribute to The Beatles who rose to fame in the early 60s.

And the ‘Rocket Bar’ would be themed around the space race.

In the 70s land, there would be a ‘Twist and Shout’ restaurant and a ‘Disco Bar’.

Then for the 80s, decade icon Pac-Man will get its own bar.

For the 90s land, there will be a skate park area and a ‘Grunge’ area.

The futuristic zone looks like it would include lots of high-tech attractions.

Daniel-Leo Jr added: “RetroEscapes is being designed as a hybrid indoor/outdoor, multi-level park with cooling measures in place to ensure a comfortable experience year-round.

“We’re currently in active talks with land partners, the city/county, and strategic partners. It’s still too early to give an exact timeline, but updates will be shared as things progress.”

He also claimed that the park is being designed by PGV Destinations, the same company behind Ferrari World, Europe Park and Universal Studios Florida.

Despite not having a timeline, people are still getting excited with many taking to social media to express their love for the planned attraction.

One person said: “Can’t wait to watch this build out happen! Find me in the 90s era! Blockbuster and Pizza Hut, scrunchies and slap bracelets all day!”

Another commented: “Every millennials dream!”

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Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane has expressed interest in running trains between London and Paris with a stop in the southeastern county of Kent, meaning an extra direct train route to Europe

A new train service would provide a second direct route from the UK to Europe.

At the moment, if you want to get from the UK to Europe by train (and you aren’t in your own vehicle), the only option is to go on the Eurostar from St Pancras International in London.

Eurostar trains used to make stops in Kent, but service was halted in 2020. Services stopped operating at Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International because of the coronavirus pandemic, but they never returned when international travel did.

Earlier this year, Eurostar said just 4% of passengers travelled from Ashford, or Ebbsfleet, which is also in Kent. At peak times, it says there were 50 passengers from Ashford on each 900-seat train.

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That hasn’t stopped the Kentish people from expressing their dismay at the scrapped service. Around 80,000 of them have signed a petition to get their European link back. Jean-Claude Cothias, a Frenchman who moved to Ashford due to its connections with the Continent, has even considered leaving the town now that Eurostar doesn’t stop there.

“That connection, if it’s not there, it is hugely detrimental to the economic environment in the town and to its attractiveness,” he told the BBC.

It seems that their protests have worked. Italian operator Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane has expressed interest in running trains between London and Paris with a stop in the southeastern county.

The competitor is one of several train companies competing to run a cross-Channel route. Its plans include a £1 billion investment into the British economy, and the construction of an ‘innovation hub’ at Ashford station, according to the Times.

Virgin, German-owned organisation Deutsche Bahn, and startup Evolyn have been gearing up to make bids for access to the Channel Tunnel.

A Virgin Group spokesperson said: “Virgin is talking to Kent County Council and other stakeholders about stopping at both Ebbsfleet and Ashford as it set out in its ORR submission. Reopening the stations to be able to accommodate international services requires commitment and resources from all parties and potential competitors involved – but if the stations are opened, Virgin will stop in Kent.”

In January Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “keen” to see international services reinstated to Ashford “as soon as possible”, when responding to Ashford MP Sojan Joseph’s question in the House of Commons. Like Ashford and Ebbsfleet, Eurostar no longer stops at Calais’s international station – Calais Frethun.

Ashford Borough Council invested £25m for the infrastructure of the town’s international station, which opened in 1996. It also spent £8.5m more to upgrade signalling in 2020, so newer Eurostar trains could access the station.

Council leader Noel Ovenden has been a vocal critic of both Ashford International and Ebbsfleet stations lying unused by direct European services. “We want it open now, not in another five years. We need to keep banging the drum, louder and louder, and push hard to get this station reopened,” he told the BBC.

Oct. 10 (UPI) — The Qatari Emiri Air Force will base several F-15 fighters and their pilots at a base in Idaho, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday.

The Qatari fighter jets and pilots will be hosted at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in southwestern Idaho, which Hegseth said will enable training exercises with the U.S. military to make joint operations more effective, according to The Hill.

Hegseth announced the Qatari base agreement while meeting with Qatari Defense Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the Pentagon on Friday.

“The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality [and] interoperability,” Hegseth said, as reported by CBS News.

Hegseth and Al Thani signed a letter of acceptance to build the Qatari air force facility at the Idaho base, which also is home to a Singapore Air Force unit.

Qatar will build its base at the Idaho facility, but the dates of the planned construction and when the base would be operational were not announced.

Qatar has been instrumental in helping to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and potentially bring a lasting peace in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East, Hegseth added.

Al Thani called the Gaza peace effort a “historic achievement” that shows “what can be accomplished when our nations work together,” Fox News reported.

Hegseth and Al Thani referred to the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas that President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday.

The president credited Qatar, Turkey and Egypt with mediating the negotiations that resulted in what Trump said will ensure peace throughout the Middle East.

While Qatar will have an air force training base in Idaho, the United States likewise has a military base at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which is the largest U.S. base in the Middle East, according to Grey Dynamics.

The U.S. has used the Qatar base since 2000, hosted coalition forces and served as the U.S. military’s headquarters for its operations in Iraq.

A 2002 agreement formally made the U.S. military the manager of the Al Udeid base in Qatar.

Oct. 10 (UPI) — A plot to attack the Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and other Belgian leadership was intercepted by police in Antwerp, and three young adult men were arrested.

Prosecutors described it as a “jihadist-inspired terrorist attack.” During a search in the Deurne area of Antwerp, police found a homemade explosive that the suspects were planning to attach to a drone to execute the attack. Deurne is near the prime minister’s residence.

“The news of a planned attack targeting Prime Minister Bart De Wever is extremely shocking,” Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot wrote in a post on X. “I express my full support to the prime minister, his wife and his family, and my thanks go to the security and justice services, whose swift action has prevented the worst. It highlights that we are facing a very real terrorist threat and that we have to remain vigilant.”

Reports said that Antwerp Mayor Els van Doesburg and Dutch anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders may have also been targets. Defense Minister Theo Francken said he couldn’t confirm who else was a target but that he was not.

Francken said on Flemish public broadcaster VRT, “it is terrible for Bart and his family, and of course it’s Islamists again,” BBC reported.

The suspects were arrested on suspicion of attempted terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group. They all live in Antwerp, the prosecutor’s office said. The oldest one, who is 24, was released Thursday night due to lack of evidence. The other two are expected to appear Friday before an investigating judge.

At a press conference Friday, Federal Prosecutor Ann Fransen said searches found a “bag of steel balls” and a 3D printer with “indications that they intended to use a drone to attach a payload.”

She said there have been 80 terrorism investigations in Belgium this year, which is more than the number of cases in all of 2024.

Five people were convicted in April of a 2023 plot to attack De Wever while he was mayor of Antwerp. De Wever is conservative and is the first Flemish nationalist to be prime minister.

Sept. 26 (UPI) — Russia will train and equip Chinese paratroopers to invade Taiwan, according to leaked documents.

The 800-page cache of documents said that China will buy dozens of military vehicles and parachute systems for its paratroopers, and Russia will provide training to troops on how to operate them.

The documents’ details were verified by the Royal United Services Institute, a British think tank. They appear to show a strengthening alliance between the two countries. They said the deal would give China “expanded air maneuver capability” and “offensive options against Taiwan, the Philippines and other island states in the region.”

“Chinese President Xi Jinping has directed the People’s Liberation Army to be ready to militarily seize Taiwan by 2027,” RUSI said. “A large-scale amphibious operation is highly risky, with the sites suitable for landing craft to deliver troops and equipment ashore constrained by the gradient and load bearing capacity of the beaches. Seizing airfields could allow troops to flow in by air, but as Russia discovered during its invasion of Ukraine, runways can be quickly denied. The PLA is therefore eager to identify ways of diversifying both the methods and locations at which it can move units onto Taiwan.”

“It is a very good example of how the Russians have become an enabler for the Chinese,” making the two countries’ militaries almost impossible to separate, said Jack Watling, senior research fellow for Land Warfare at RUSI, who also wrote the analysis, along with Oleksandr V. Danylyuk.

Russia’s oil and gas, along with its large defense industry, could become a “strategic backup for China,” Watling added.

Taiwan is a self-governing island that China claims as its own. Taiwan also is a U.S. ally.

The leaked documents were found by a hacktivist group, Black Moon. They show Russia agreeing in October 2024 to sell 37 BMD-4M light amphibious vehicles, 11 Sprut-SDM1 self-propelled anti-tank guns, 11 BTR-MDM airborne armored personnel carriers to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

The main equipment provision contract had a value of $584 million before it was finalized, The Washington Post reported. It also included several command and observation vehicles and parachute systems designed to airdrop heavy loads from high altitudes.

Other documents in the cache show several rounds of negotiations. There was a meeting in Beijing in April 2024 where the Chinese requested Moscow speed up the delivery timeline for certain vehicles. They also asked Russia to include complete technical documentation and adapt the weaponry to make it compatible with Chinese software, electronic, radio and navigation systems. Russia will also set up a repair-and-maintenance hub in China.

“Military cooperation between China and Russia goes far beyond what has been publicly acknowledged,” a Taiwanese security official commenting on the Russia-China deals told the Washington Post.

Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have attended each other’s military parades in the past year. Their two militaries held 14 joint exercises in 2024, which is nearly double what they did 10 years ago, The Post reported.

Last week, Chinese military representatives attended Russia and Belarus’s Zapad-2025 war games where Russia demonstrated the high-altitude airdrops of heavy equipment that China wants to use, according to the documents.

After a final sense check of the schedule and plans, camp begins as players walk through the door at the Vale Hotel on the outskirts of Cardiff, where the FAW offices and training ground are also housed.

One by one squad members arrive, handing over a passport to be checked and receiving a room card.

The days of the likes of Chris Gunter and Aaron Ramsey sharing are over, with every player allocated single rooms which are mapped out and planned – though there is scope for players who are particularly close to be housed near one another.

Players have their own WhatsApp group, but another for information and key reminders rolls over from the previous international.

There is no room for sympathy, either, with dropped or injured players removed from that group to prevent sensitive information being leaked by accident.

It is safe to say that in the months after the 2022 World Cup, the words “Gareth Bale has left the group” rammed home the reality of his retirement.

Daily meetings with other departments – from media to medical – are held by Bellamy before breakfast, with each one laying out plans for the day and making sure everyone remains on the same page.

As training begins, an advanced party heads to Astana via Azerbaijan.

As well as a final check on facilities and security, meeting rooms at the hotel are decked in Wales team branding ready for the team’s arrival.

Among the early travellers is the team chef, who – after liaising with the performance team – has prepared and sent a menu to the hotel a month prior to arrival.

Menus are adapted if certain produce cannot be sourced or is out of season. Recipe cards are provided if local staff cannot quite get used to making staple foods like porridge at breakfast.

With players’ habits and even superstitions in mind, extensive options for food the day before a game and in the final hours before a match are provided – including those baked beans.

Israeli troops have begun advancing on Gaza City as part of the military’s plan to besiege and occupy the area. Despite a global outcry, the Netanyahu government is pressing forward with the assault. Soraya Lennie explains what we know.

Police claim Brazil’s ex-President Jair Bolsonaro wrote letter seeking asylum in Argentina as coup investigation ramped up in 2024.

Brazil’s federal police said that messages found on the mobile phone of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro showed he once wanted to flee to Argentina and request political asylum from Argentinian President Javier Milei.

The police said in a report released on Wednesday that the letter seeking asylum was saved on Bolsonaro’s mobile phone in February 2024, just days after the former president’s passport was seized amid an investigation of his involvement in an alleged coup plot.

It was unclear whether the asylum request was sent, and the Argentinian president’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The asylum request document revealed on Wednesday was part of the final police report that formally accused Bolsonaro and his United States-based son, Eduardo, of working to interfere in the ongoing legal process related to the ex-president’s forthcoming trial for allegedly plotting a coup.

Bolsonaro’s trial is expected to start on September 2, in which he faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of plotting to overthrow his democratically elected successor as president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in 2022.

Police have now recommended that the ex-president and his son be charged with “coercion in the judicial process” and “abolition of the democratic law” related to interference in the coup case. The combined sentence for the two offences could reach up to 12 years in prison.

Brazilian news outlet O Dia said on Wednesday that recordings were also found on a device seized during the police investigation of Bolsonaro, which indicated “attempts to intimidate authorities and impede the progress of the investigations related to the inquiry into the attack on democracy, including attempts to use external influence”.

Bolsonaro – who has been under house arrest since early August – has maintained his innocence in the coup trial, which US President Donald Trump, an ally, has called a “witch-hunt”.

Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, stepped down from his position as a Brazilian congressman in March and moved to the US, where he is campaigning for the Trump administration to intercede on his father’s behalf.

Those lobbying efforts have been successful, with the Trump administration taking punitive action against Brazil over the case, including sanctions against court officials.

Trump has also imposed a massive 50 percent tariff on many Brazilian exports to the US, citing Bolsonaro’s trial.

Claire Le Moigne, who has spent 35 years as a TUI retail manager, has shared her top tips for heading away on holiday, including the one thing that she always takes with her

Holidaymakers should always pack one cheap essential with them before heading away, according to a veteran travel agent.

Claire Le Moigne has spent 35 years as a TUI retail manager and has now shared the top packing hacks she’s learnt from over three decades working in the travel industry.

Whilst she’s worked in stores in Leeds, Wakefield and Selby, she’s also travelled across the globe to more than 20 destinations. She’s booked well over 6,000 holidays for her customers and is still booking trips for the same families she did 35 years ago. It comes following news that Spanish islands fear Brits won’t return as tourists are dealt another blow.

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Claire said: “Over the years I’ve been on my fair share of trips, but I’ve also helped all of my customers prepare for their summer holidays. I’ve picked up lots of tips and tricks along the way when it comes to the essentials we should take away, but I’ve also seen firsthand some of the biggest mistakes that travellers make with their luggage.”

Her absolute must-have when heading away is something that many households will already own, but may not think to take with them on holiday.

“I never travel without a foldable tote bag when I go on holiday. They pack away super small, but they’re so handy for any items I accumulate over the day – whether that’s souvenirs or even dirty clothes from the kids! Whether I need some extra room whilst trekking around a city or want a beach bag on a fly and flop break, it always comes in handy,” Claire explained.

From avoiding overweight cases and forgotten chargers, to preparing for mid-trip Marmite cravings, here are Claire’s tried and tested summer holiday packing tips which have helped her customers get from check-in to sun lounger hassle free.

Keep the clothes light

“Avoid the trap that 88% of Brits fall into and don’t pack clothes that you won’t wear. Before you pop clothes in a suitcase plan out which items you can use for which outfit and try them on – take a quick picture and then you’ll be able to remember exactly what options you have.

“I tend to do this a couple of weeks before I pack, ensuring I’ve got myself covered for evening outfit changes too. I make sure to leave plenty of room for shoe options. It’s also a good idea to pack outfits that can be mixed and matched. For example, three different tops that go with two different pairs of shorts. I always weigh my bags ahead of time too and add on any extra luggage before I travel if I needed.”

Take your creature comforts

“Brits are known for bringing teddies, slippers and even ketchup on holiday – so lean into it. If bringing a few items as part of a comfort kit will help ease homesickness for you or your family, then why not make room for the jar of Marmite! I can never leave for my holidays without a stash of my favourite teabags. They don’t take up lots of space or weight, so why not chuck them in!”

Ditch folding for rolling, bundling or filing

“Nobody wants to spend their time ironing on holiday. I always opt to roll my clothes to help avoid creases and to save space. If you need that extra bit of compression you can try the ‘bundle method’ where you wrap larger items around smaller ones. That said, if you’re someone who doesn’t like to unpack their suitcase when you get to your destination, filing your clothes vertically lets you see everything in your case at a glance – you just might need to take more advantage of a travel iron!”

Sticky notes are your best friend

“Every holiday, the average Brit forgets two essential items. They’re usually things like travel adaptors, chargers or toothbrushes. So, before you zip up your bag, physically check off your essentials: phone, passport, charger, swimming costume, and, yes, underwear! A sticky note checklist on your front door works wonders to jog your memory. The week before I travel, I write a list of things I need to buy, the essentials like suncream and insect repellent. It keeps me super relaxed on the way to the airport knowing everything is already in my case.”

Don’t leave things hanging

“The worst packing mistake I’ve ever heard was by a lady who packed for her partner and left their clothes hanging up at home ready to go in the case! At the end of the day, the clothes are all going in the suitcase, so sitting in there for an extra few days won’t hurt. Better that than being left with nothing to wear.”

Downsize your toiletries

“Most destinations sell shampoo and bodywash, so there’s no need to pack the whole bathroom cupboard. Instead, swap out bulky bottles for travel-size refills or reusable containers. Make-up wipes and solid toiletries like shampoo bars can also save space and prevent leaks. If in doubt, it’s worth wrapping up a bottle in a plastic bag to prevent any spillages in transit.”

In-flight essentials

“It’s a given that eye masks, earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones are essential for comfort on a plane, but one thing a lot of people forget to bring is a reusable water bottle. You can refill it after security, and cabin crew are often able to top you up during long flights too – this is a great money saving hack so you don’t end up spending extra pounds on disposable bottles for the whole family.

“It’s also really important to stay hydrated during a flight – the air can get quite dehydrating. That’s also why I like to bring a little facemask for a long flight. An hour or so before landing I’ll pop it on to properly wake me up after any naps and I always feel so much more refreshed.”

The IAEA is yet to make a statement about the meeting, which will not include a visit to Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran’s talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be “technical” and “complicated”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said, ahead of a visit by the United Nations nuclear watchdog for the first time since Tehran cut ties with it last month in the wake of the June conflict triggered by Israeli strikes.

Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told reporters on Monday that a meeting may be organised with Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi during the IAEA’s visit, “but it is a bit soon to predict what the talks will result since these are technical talks, complicated talks”.

The IAEA’s visit marks the first to Iran since President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the country on July 3 to suspend its cooperation with the nuclear watchdog after an intensive 12-day war with Israel. The conflict also saw the United States launch massive strikes on Israel’s behalf against key Iranian nuclear sites.

Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera in an interview last month that his country is prepared for any future war Israel might wage against it, adding that he was not optimistic about the ceasefire between the countries. He confirmed that Tehran is committed to continuing its nuclear programme for peaceful purposes.

He added that Israel’s strikes, which assassinated leading military figures and nuclear scientists, damaged nuclear facilities and killed hundreds of civilians, had sought to “eliminate” Iran’s hierarchy, but “completely failed to do so”.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency on Monday that Massimo Aparo, the IAEA’s deputy director general and head of safeguards, had left Iran. Aparo met with an Iranian delegation, which included officials from the Foreign Ministry and the IAEA, to discuss “the method of interaction between the agency and Iran”.

Gharibabadi said they decided to continue consultations in the future, without providing further details.

The IAEA did not immediately issue a statement about Aparo’s visit, which will not include any planned access to Iranian nuclear sites.

Relations between the IAEA and Iran deteriorated after the watchdog’s board said on June 12 that Iran had breached its non-proliferation obligations, a day before Israel’s air strikes over Iran, which sparked the conflict.

Baghaei, meanwhile, criticised the IAEA’s lack of response to the Israeli strikes.

“Peaceful facilities of a country that was under 24-hour monitoring were the target of strikes, and the agency refrained from showing a wise and rational reaction and did not condemn it as it was required,” he said.

Araghchi had previously said that cooperation with the agency, which will now require approval by Iran’s highest security body, the Supreme National Security Council, would be about redefining how both sides cooperate. The decision will likely further limit inspectors’ ability to track Tehran’s programme that had been enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.

Iran has had limited IAEA inspections in the past, in negotiations with the West, and it is unclear how soon talks between Tehran and Washington for a deal over its nuclear programme will resume, if at all.

US intelligence agencies and the IAEA assessed that Iran last had an organised nuclear weapons programme in 2003. Although Tehran had been enriching uranium up to 60 percent, this is still some way from the weapons-grade levels of 90 percent.

Iran has said it will block a corridor planned in the Caucasus under a United States-brokered peace accord between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which has been hailed by other countries in the region as beneficial for achieving lasting peace.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on Saturday that Tehran would block the initiative “with or without Russia”, with which Iran has a strategic alliance alongside Armenia.

US President Donald Trump “thinks the Caucasus is a piece of real estate he can lease for 99 years”, Velayati told state-affiliated Tasnim News, referring to the transport corridor included in the peace deal.

“This passage will not become a gateway for Trump’s mercenaries — it will become their graveyard,” he added, describing the plan as “political treachery” aimed at undermining Armenia’s territorial integrity.

The terms of the accord, which was unveiled at a signing ceremony at the White House on Friday, include exclusive US development rights to a route through Armenia that would link Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani enclave that borders Baku’s ally Turkiye.

The corridor, which would pass close to the border with Iran, would be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, or TRIPP, and operate under Armenian law.

Velayati argued that it would open the way for NATO to position itself “like a viper” between Iran and Russia.

Separately, Iran’s foreign ministry issued a statement expressing concern about the negative consequences of any foreign intervention in the vicinity of its borders.

While it welcomed the peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the ministry said any project near Iran’s borders should be developed “with respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and without foreign interference”.

For its part, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs cautiously welcomed the deal, saying on Saturday that Moscow supported efforts to promote stability and prosperity in the region, including the Washington meeting.

Similarly to Iran, however, it warned against outside intervention, arguing that lasting solutions should be developed by countries in the region.

“The involvement of non-regional players should strengthen the peace agenda, not create new divisions,” the ministry said, adding that it hoped to avoid the “unfortunate experience” of Western-led conflict resolution in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Turkiye on Saturday said it hoped the planned transit corridor would boost exports of energy and other resources through the South Caucasus.

A NATO member, Turkiye has strongly backed Azerbaijan in its conflicts with Armenia, but has pledged to restore ties with Yerevan after it signs a final peace deal with Baku.

The Turkish presidency said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the peace agreement with Ilham Aliyev, his counterpart from Azerbaijan, and offered Ankara’s support in achieving lasting peace in the region.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also addressed the planned corridor during a visit to Egypt, saying it could “link Europe with the depths of Asia via Turkiye” and would be “a very beneficial development”.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a series of wars since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan that had a mostly ethnic Armenian population at the time, broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia.

Armenia last year agreed to return several villages to Azerbaijan in what Baku described as a “long-awaited historic event”.

Ahmad Shahidov, of the Azerbaijan Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, told Al Jazeera that he expected a final peace declaration between Armenia and Azerbaijan to be signed in the coming weeks.

Shahidov said Friday’s US-brokered deal constituted a “roadmap” for the final agreement, which appears imminent given there are no unresolved territorial disputes between the two neighbours.

California and a coalition of other liberal-led states sued the Trump administration Tuesday over a provision in the “Big Beautiful Bill” that bars Planned Parenthood and other large nonprofit abortion providers from receiving Medicaid funding for a host of unrelated healthcare services.

The measure has threatened clinics across the country that rely on federal funding to operate. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, who is helping to lead the litigation, called it a “cruel, backdoor abortion ban” that violates the law in multiple ways.

The states’ challenge comes one day after Planned Parenthood won a major victory in its own lawsuit over the measure in Boston, where a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the ban from taking effect against Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide.

Federal law already prohibits the use of federal Medicaid funding to pay for abortions, but the new “defund provision” in the bill passed by congressional Republicans earlier this month goes further. It also bars nonprofit abortion providers that generated $800,000 or more in annual Medicaid revenue in 2023 from receiving any such funding for the next year — including for services unrelated to abortion, such as annual checkups, cancer screenings, birth control and testing for sexually transmitted infections.

Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice have argued that the measure “stops federal subsidies for Big Abortion,” that Congress under the constitution is “free to decline to provide taxpayer funds to entities that provide abortions,” and that Planned Parenthood’s position should not hold sway over that of Congress.

In announcing the states’ lawsuit Monday, Bonta’s office echoed Planned Parenthood officials in asserting that the provision specifically and illegally targets Planned Parenthood and its affiliate clinics — calling it “a direct attack on the healthcare access of millions of low-income Americans, disproportionally affecting women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and communities of color.”

Bonta’s office said the measure threatened $300 million in federal funding for clinics in California, where Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider, and “jeopardized the stability” of Planned Parenthood’s 114 clinics across the state, which serve about 700,000 patients annually — many of whom use Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid.

During a virtual news conference Monday, Bonta noted that federal funds already don’t cover abortions. He said the new provision was “punishment for Planned Parenthood’s constitutionally protected advocacy for abortion” and “a direct attack on access to essential healthcare for millions who rely on Medicaid.”

“The Trump administration and Congress are actually gutting essential lifesaving care, like cancer screenings and STI testing, simply because Planned Parenthood has spoken out in support of reproductive rights,” Bonta said. “The hypocrisy is really hard to ignore. A party that claims to be defenders of free speech only seem to care about it when it aligns with their own agenda.”

Bonta added: “Rest assured, California will continue to lead as a reproductive freedom state, and will continue to defend healthcare as a human right.”

In their lawsuit, the states argue that the measure is unlawfully ambiguous and violates the spending powers of Congress by singling out Planned Parenthood for negative treatment, and that it will harm people’s health and increase the cost of Medicaid programs for states by more than $50 million over the next decade.

In its lawsuit, Planned Parenthood also argued that the measure intentionally singled it and its affiliates out for punishment, in violation of their constitutional rights, including free speech.

In granting Planned Parenthood’s request for a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani wrote Monday that she was “not enjoining the federal government from regulating abortion and is not directing the federal government to fund elective abortions or any healthcare service not otherwise eligible for Medicaid coverage.”

Talwani, an Obama appointee, wrote that she also was not requiring the federal government “to spend money not already appropriated for Medicaid or any other funds.”

Instead, Talwani wrote, her order blocks the Trump administration from “targeting a specific group of entities — Planned Parenthood Federation members — for exclusion from reimbursements under the Medicaid program,” as they were likely to prove that “such targeted exclusion violates the United States Constitution.”

In a statement to The Times on Tuesday, White House spokesman Harrison Fields said the “Big, Beautiful Bill” was “legally passed by both chambers of the Legislative Branch and signed into law by the Chief Executive,” and Talwani’s order granting the injunction was “not only absurd but illogical and incorrect.”

“It is orders like these that underscore the audacity of the lower courts as well as the chaos within the judicial branch. We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue,” Fields said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment on the states’ lawsuit.

Jodi Hicks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, joined Bonta during his news conference. She welcomed the states’ lawsuit, saying “an attack this severe requires a multi-pronged response with both short and long term strategies.”

Hicks said it’s particularly important that California is helping to fight back, given the huge stakes for the state.

“California is the most impacted state across the country because of the volume of patients that we have, but also because of the amount of Medicaid that our state takes,” she said. “It speaks to our values. And this defund provision is certainly [an] attack on values — most heavily on California.”

Bonta is leading the lawsuit along with the attorneys general of Connecticut and New York. Joining them are Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the attorneys general of Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

Bonta noted the lawsuit is the 36th his office has filed against the Trump administration in the last 27 weeks.

I took a week of vacation to relax, clear my head and stop obsessing over depressing news.

I hear frequently from people who say that, for their peace of mind, they’re tuning out the news altogether, so I tried it for a couple of days. Opened a book. Walked the dog.

Steve Lopez

Steve Lopez is a California native who has been a Los Angeles Times columnist since 2001. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards and is a four-time Pulitzer finalist.

But I’m in the news business, and I felt like a hypocrite, so I kept sneaking peeks. As it turns out, that wasn’t healthy.

You can’t follow a single 24-hour news cycle without questioning your own sanity.

Do we really live in a country in which the president posts fake videos of a predecessor being arrested?

In which a dead man’s sex trafficking crimes dominate White House news for days on end?

In which the federal government has made it a priority to arrest tamale vendors and fire meteorologists?

President Trump holds a gavel after signing the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 4.

(Brendan Smialowski / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)

In which the Social Security Administration sends us emails fawning over the president and making false claims, the White House jokes and memes about immigration raids and the Department of Homeland Security triggers a trolling war with social media posts about its version of national heritage?

I have a weekly goal of avoiding alcoholic beverages on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, but in this political culture, what chance do I have?

With lots of time to practice, I picked up my guitar, but events of the last few weeks continued to haunt me.

The “Big Beautiful Bill” that Trump signed into law on July 4 will add trillions to the national debt, heap tax breaks on those who need them least and rip healthcare coverage away from the neediest. As a result, L.A. County’s health services are anticipating federal cutbacks in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We can’t survive this big a cut,” Barbara Ferrer, L.A. County’s head of public health, told the Times for a story by Rebecca Ellis and Niamh Ordner. She added: “I’ve been around a long time. I’ve never actually seen this much disdain for public health.”

Dr. Jonathan LoPresti, who worked at County/USC for decades and is an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at USC, is alarmed. He sent me an a copy of an opinion piece he’s writing, which includes a warning that county hospitals could “again be overrun with the poor … and homeless, leading to further hospital and ER overcrowding, delayed discharges and reduction in routine health maintenance … That could lead to an increase in community TB cases and more serious complications of treatable disease, as well as deaths.”

He added this:

“How many public deaths are people willing to accept?”

There is no limit, judging by crystal clear signals from Washington.

I think we can all agree that historic rainstorms, hurricanes and wildfires in the United States and the rest of the world will continue to kill thousands.

Here’s a synopsis of the Trump response:

The U.S. climate change website has been shut down.

Protesters gather on the National Mall for the “Hands Off” protest against the administration of President Trump on April 5.

(Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

The administration says the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be eliminated, and the urban search and rescue chief has resigned, citing chaos and dangerous disaster response delays.

Layoffs and buyouts have reduced National Weather Service ranks by 14% despite warnings of dire consequences.

So I swam laps, thinking that having my head under might help, but it only made me feeling like I was drowning.

Hundreds of probationary workers at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration have been fired, and the fulltime staff will be trimmed by 2,000.

These cuts, and the elimination of federal support for scientific research, are damaging in obvious ways. But when I asked UCLA professor Alex Hall what’s most disturbing, here’s what the director of the Center for Climate Science had to say:

“I feel like the thing that’s most chilling is the way the word ‘climate’ has become a dirty word.”

In other words, the politicization of the subject — Trump and supporters insist human-caused climate change is either exaggerated or a hoax — has created a form of censorship.

“That’s where we really start to face dangers — when people can’t talk about something,” said Hall, who has been studying the link between climate change and California wildfires.

I may be a little biased on this topic. My daughter just graduated from college with a degree in earth science. What she and thousands like her are being told, essentially, is, “Good for you, but the planet’s health is neither a concern nor a priority. If you’re looking for work, the Border Patrol is hiring, and cryptocurrency might be a good career path.”

So there you have it. That’s how I spent my summer vacation, failing miserably in my attempt to look the other way.

But all was not lost.

I played pickleball a couple of times, in Glendale and Los Feliz, and suffered no major injuries. I took my beagle Philly to Rosie’s Dog Beach in Long Beach and watched him race around like the happiest hound in the world. And, borrowing from Trump’s penchant for cutbacks, I’ve trimmed my list of no-alcohol days from three to two.

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