And Shohei Ohtani is expected to be their starting pitcher.
In what will be just four days removed from his six-plus-inning, 93-pitch start in Game 4 of this World Series, Ohtani will likely serve as the team’s opener in Saturday’s winner-take-all contest, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.
While Ohtani almost certainly won’t make a full-length start, he should be able to get through at least two or three innings (depending on how laborious his outing is). Four or five innings might not be out of the question, either, even in what will be only his second career MLB outing pitching on three days’ rest.
The only time Ohtani did so was in 2023, when he followed a rain-shortened two-inning start at Fenway Park against the Red Sox with a seven-inning outing four days later.
Saturday, of course, will come under entirely different circumstances, in what will be the first seventh game in a World Series since 2019.
By starting Ohtani, the Dodgers would ensure they wouldn’t lose his bat for the rest of the game, thanks to MLB’s two-way rules. If he were to enter in relief during the game, the only way he could stay in afterward is if he shifted to the outfield (since MLB’s rules stipulate that a team would lose the DH spot under such circumstances). Starting him also eliminates any complications that would come with trying to find him time to warm up if his spot in the batting order arose the inning prior — something that would have made it potentially more difficult for him to be able to close out the game.
Ohtani has completed six innings in each of his three previous pitching appearances this postseason, with a 3.50 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 18 innings.
The Dodgers should have options behind Ohtani. Tyler Glasnow will likely be available after needing just three pitches to get the save in Friday’s wild finish. Blake Snell also said he would be available after his Game 5 start on Wednesday.
In the bullpen, Roki Sasaki figures to be at manager Dave Roberts’ disposal, as well, despite throwing 33 pitches in one-plus inning of work on Friday.
Roberts said everyone short of Game 6 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be available.
Hamas has handed over the remains of an additional captive it recovered in the ravaged Gaza Strip, as the Palestinian group urges mediators and the international community to pressure Israel to open border crossings and allow aid in.
The armed wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, said in a statement on Friday that its fighters handed over the remains at 11pm local time (20:00 GMT), without elaborating on where the body was retrieved.
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According to the group, the remains were pulled out earlier in the day and were those of an “occupation prisoner”, suggesting they belonged to an Israeli rather than one of the captives of several other nationalities also taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed a short while later that Israel had received the coffin of a captive after it was handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas in Gaza.
The coffin will be transferred to Israel’s Ministry of Health’s National Center for Forensic Medicine, where a formal identification process will be conducted before the family is informed.
The Israeli military requested that “the public act with sensitivity and wait for the official identification”. It also added that “Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages”.
Hamas has said it’s committed to the terms of the United States-mediated ceasefire deal, including the handover of captive bodies still unaccounted for under Gaza’s ruins. It has repeatedly said it has returned all the bodies it was able to recover, but needs help locating remaining captives trapped under the rubble following Israeli strikes.
“There are still 18 bodies held inside Gaza,” said Al Jazeera’s Hamda Salhut, reporting from Amman on Friday. “Hamas says that they’re waiting for the assistance they need in the help in the form of heavy machinery and teams on the ground.”
Israel is ‘not cooperating’
Former Israeli ambassador Alon Liel said the return of the bodies of the dead captives is being treated very emotionally in the country, creating pressure on the government.
He said many Israelis believed that Hamas was cheating on the ceasefire agreement by not returning all the bodies of the deceased captives. “There is a lot of anger,” Liel said.
In a statement earlier on Friday, Hamas said some captives’ remains were in tunnels or buildings that were later destroyed by Israel, and that heavy machinery was required to dig through rubble to retrieve them. It blamed Israel for the delay, saying it had not allowed any new bulldozers into the Gaza Strip.
Most heavy equipment in Gaza was destroyed during the war, leaving only a limited number as Palestinians try to clear massive amounts of rubble across the bombarded territory.
Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, said Israel is “not cooperating with countries that are lending help to possibly look for those remains”.
“Turkiye, for example, was ready to send 81 experts in the retrieval of bodies, and Israel has not allowed it to enter. It has also not allowed it to provide equipment that could possibly facilitate that,” Odeh said.
On Friday, two bulldozers ploughed up pits in the earth as Hamas searched for captives’ remains in Hamad City, a complex of apartment towers in Khan Younis. Israeli forces repeatedly bombarded the towers during the war, toppling some, and troops conducted a weeklong raid there in March 2024.
US President Donald Trump has warned Hamas that he would greenlight Israel to resume the war on Gaza if the group does not live up to its end of the deal and return all captives’ bodies, totalling 28. So far in the past days, Hamas handed over the remains of nine captives, along with a 10th body that Israel claims was not that of a captive.
The return of the 10th dead captive on Friday comes as Gaza’s civil defence said more than 10,000 slain Palestinians remain trapped under debris and rubble across the enclave. Only 280 have so far been retrieved.
Hamas has urged mediators to ensure the increased flow of essential aid into Gaza, expedite the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and start reconstruction. Despite the ceasefire deal agreed last week, Israel has yet to allow the entry of aid in scale and is still operating in about half of the Gaza Strip, as attacks continue in some areas.
All the Dodgers needed to do was slot Snell in for Game 1 on Monday, making him an option to pitch again on four days’ rest in Game 5. Then, they could have Ohtani go in Game 2 on Tuesday, allowing him to pitch before Wednesday’s scheduled off-day (which has been the team’s preference for the two-way star) and be available for another start if the series returns to Milwaukee for Games 6 and 7.
On Sunday, however, manager Dave Roberts announced a different plan.
Snell will indeed go in Game 1, trying to build upon the 1.38 ERA he posted in his first two outings this postseason.
But instead of Ohtani in Game 2, it will be Yamamoto who gets the ball — pushing Ohtani’s next pitching appearance to sometime later this series, Roberts said.
“We just don’t know which day,” Roberts said of when Ohtani will get the ball. “But he’ll pitch at some point.”
That alignment came as a surprise, but also had benefits from the Dodgers’ perspective.
Unlike Ohtani, who has gotten at least six days off between every one of his pitching outings since the start of July, Yamamoto has routinely pitched on five days’ rest this season. By starting him in Game 2, he can stay on that same schedule to pitch a potential Game 6 — something the Dodgers would have been less comfortable having Ohtani do.
By pushing Ohtani back to at least Game 3, of course, the Dodgers will sacrifice their ability to get him two starts in this series. However, even if he pitches in one of the Dodgers’ home games later this week, Ohtani could come out of the bullpen in a potential Game 7 — the kind of relief opportunity the team had hinted at for weeks down the stretch this season.
Because Ohtani will make just one pitching start in the NLCS, Roberts said it’s not as imperative that it come before an off-day, either.
“You have two other guys that potentially can pitch on regular rest,” Roberts said. “So [it’s about] how do you get your best pitchers the most innings in a potential seven-game series?”
Outside of pitching considerations, however, there’s another reason delaying Ohtani’s next pitching outing could also make sense.
In the NLDS, Ohtani went one for 18 at the plate with nine strikeouts. He looked particularly out of sorts in Game 1, when he struck out four times in what was his first career playoff game both hitting and pitching.
Coming out of the series, Roberts emphasized the need for Ohtani to “recalibrate” at the plate, noting that the team was “not gonna win the World Series with that sort of performance” from its biggest star.
And while Roberts insisted on Sunday that Ohtani’s offensive slump had “no bearing” on the team shuffling its rotation, giving Ohtani two games at the start of the NLCS to focus soley on hitting certainly won’t hurt his efforts to straighten out his swing.
“I expect a different output from Shohei on the offensive side this series,” Roberts said.
For at the least the next couple days, that will be his only objective.
Gabriel Pec had a goal and an assist, Elijah Wynder also scored a goal and the Galaxy beat FC Dallas 2-1 on Saturday night.
Pec put away a shot from nearly the penalty spot to give the Galaxy (6-18-9) a 2-1 lead in the 87th minute.
Dallas (10-12-11) is eighth in the Western Conference with 41 points, three behind seventh-place Portland. Salt Lake and Colorado are tied with 40 points.
Logan Farrington was shown a straight red card in the 16th minute and Dallas played a man down the rest of the way.
Wynder slipped behind the defense and ran onto a long ball ahead played by Pec and then scored on a shot from the edge of the penalty area that deflected off goalkeeper Michael Collodi, who had charged off his line, to give the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute.
Anderson Julio put away a first-touch finish — off a cross played by Samuel Sarver — from the center of the area to make it 1-1 in the 52nd.
The Galaxy had 67% possession and outshot Dallas 13-9.
If all things had been equal, it’s likely that Roberts would have turned to Sasaki to start the inning. In just two weeks since returning from a shoulder injury and being moved to the bullpen, the converted rookie starter has become the club’s most dominant relief option.
But, for as much of a revelation as the 23-year-old right-hander had been in that time — posting four scoreless outings with a 100-mph fastball and unhittable splitter — the team remained conscientious about managing Sasaki’s workload, which included one appearance in Game 2 of the wild card series, then another in Game 1 of the NLDS just days prior.
Thus, with Roberts feeling confident enough in Treinen (the veteran right-hander coming off a career-worst season but also some recently improved outings) to protect a three-run cushion that felt relatively comfortable, he left Sasaki sitting in the bullpen despite the save situation.
He tried to take advantage of an opportunity to give his ace reliever rest.
“He hasn’t gone two out of three [days] much at all,” Roberts said after the game. “So I didn’t want to just kind of preemptively put him in there. I felt good with who we had.”
That plan, of course, almost backfired in disastrous fashion. Treinen gave up two runs without retiring a batter. Alex Vesia needed his defense to turn a wheel play on a Bryson Stott bunt to limit the damage from there. And in the end, Sasaki entered the game anyway to record the final out.
Moving forward, Roberts confirmed on Tuesday, Sasaki is “definitely the primary option now” for any future save situations — the closest the team will come to calling him their outright closer, since they could also choose to use him in high-leverage spots before the ninth.
“Obviously what Roki has done, has continued to show, has been very encouraging on a lot of fronts,” Roberts said.
The question, however, remains exactly how hard the Dodgers can ride him the rest of these playoffs; and how delicately they’ll have to balance the burden they place on a young pitcher who has never before pitched in a relief role.
“He’s not going to close every game, it’s just not feasible,” Roberts said Tuesday. “This is something he’s never done. And you’re expecting to go a few more weeks [in the postseason]. So all that stuff has to play in, that a lot of people don’t have any appreciation for.”
The deeper the Dodgers go in the playoffs, the more tricky this calculus will get.
For now, the team’s preference would be for Sasaki to have at least one day of rest before each of his outings. And while Roberts didn’t rule out using him back-to-back days, he described it as “the next graduation point” for the offseason Japanese signing (who had made only eight MLB starts at the beginning of the season before initially getting hurt and missing the next four months).
“There’s no guarantee what the stuff’s going to be like [in a back-to-back sequence],” Roberts said, adding that any potential usage of Saskai on consecutive days would require conversations beforehand with pitching coaches about how Sasaki looked in pregame catch sessions.
“I would love to have Roki throw every single day if he could, but that’s just not feasible,” Roberts reiterated. “Again, we have a lot of conversations, and then I make my decision.”
In other words, Sasaki will get the majority of save opportunities moving forward. But he likely won’t be the only one to handle such spots.
Sheehan responds in set-up role
Emmet Sheehan reacts after closing out the eighth inning against the Phillies in Game 2.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
After a promising regular season in which he posted a 2.82 ERA in 15 outings, the Dodgers looked to Emmet Sheehan to be a multi-inning set-up man for their beleaguered relief corps.
His first playoff outing was troublesome: Giving up two hits and two walks while recording only one out in Game 2 of the wild-card series against the Reds.
But on Monday night, he bounced back with two innings of one-run relief to keep the Dodgers’ lead intact entering the ninth.
The biggest moment of Sheehan’s outing (in which he retired the side in the seventh, before giving up a down-the-line triple to Max Kepler and RBI single to Trea Turner in the eighth) came after he’d yielded that lone run. The Phillies had left-handed sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper due up next. The Dodgers had Vesia, their top left-handed option, warming in the bullpen.
For a brief moment, as pitching coach Mark Prior came to the mound and Sheehan fidgeted with his PitchCom device during an extended pause, it appeared the Dodgers were just stalling for Vesia to get warm.
But Roberts ultimately stayed put and let Sheehan pitch to the Phillies’ star duo. His faith was rewarded with two outs that ended the inning. Sheehan struck out Schwarber with a 97.6-mph fastball on the inside corner, tied for his third-hardest pitch for a strikeout this season. Then he got Harper to fly out on a changeup, pumping a fist into his mitt as he skipped off the field.
“I think it just showed some adjustments that I made compared to that previous game [against the Reds],” Sheehan said.
The biggest one?
“Definitely controlling your emotions,” Sheehan acknowledged. “It’s a big piece of coming out of the bullpen. I’ve talked to a lot of guys about that, especially after Cincinnati where I wasn’t as comfortable out there.”
That Reds outing, of course, was a major red flag for the Dodgers’ bullpen plans. Given the struggles from the team’s traditional relievers entering the playoffs, Sheehan was supposed to essentially be a set-up man out of the bullpen capable of bridging the gap from the starting pitcher to the ninth.
Sheehan said, in that wild-card outing, he felt he was “trying to do a little too much, trying to be a little too fine with my pitches at the corners.”
“That’s not really my game,” he said in hindsight. “So I think just getting back to the approach and the game plan that’s been working for the past couple months was big. Trying to just go right at them and attack in the zone.”
Roberts gave Sheehan the leash to do that Monday, and will likely keep calling upon him in high-leverage spots moving forward, perhaps making Sheehan and Sasaki his preferred combination to close out the final innings of games.
“I just felt that his stuff was still real good [and that] he wasn’t going to run from those guys at the top,” Roberts said Tuesday of letting Sheehan face Schwarber and Harper (who are a combined one for 14 in the NLDS with two walks and eight strikeouts).
“I trusted him. I felt in that moment he was the best option. And it proved to be right.”
Treinen lacking ‘edge’
At the other end of the reliever trust spectrum is Treinen, who not only failed to retire any of the three batters he faced in Game 2 but also, at least in Roberts’ estimation, also didn’t look like someone confident in their stuff.
“I just didn’t see that edge last night,” Roberts said Tuesday, “that I know I’ve seen it many times over.”
Indeed, Treinen was the Dodgers’ most trusted reliever during their World Series run last year, when he was credited with three saves, two holds and two wins and punctuated his October with 2 ⅓ scoreless innings of relief in Game 5 of the World Series.
This season has been a different story, with Treinen stumbling to a career-worst 5.40 ERA after missing much of the first half with a forearm problem.
Despite that, Treinen had entered Monday on more of a high, after striking out three batters in his regular-season finale before making two scoreless appearances in the wild-card series.
The Phillies, however, took advantage of his inability this year to get as much swing-and-miss, fanning on just one of eight swings while stringing together a single and two doubles (the last one on a half-swing from Nick Castellanos against Treinen’s trademark sweeper).
“I felt that he was getting some momentum before that last one, so I’ll check in on him,” Roberts said. “But there’s ways of how you go about an outing, successful or not successful, and how a player carries himself matters to me.”
On Monday, Treinen didn’t check that box. And whether he will be thrown into such a high-leverage situation his next time out remains to be seen.
Some companies seem like obvious slam-dunk investments. They have a combination of durable business models, visible growth profiles, and strong financials. Because of that, you don’t have to think twice when considering whether to buy these stocks.
Enbridge(ENB 0.04%), Brookfield Infrastructure(BIPC 2.58%) (BIP 4.92%), and Brookfield Asset Management(BAM 0.15%) stand out to a few Fool.com contributing analysts as no-brainer buys for 2025 and beyond. Here’s why they think these stocks will be great long-term investments.
Image source: Getty Images.
Enbridge has dividend investors covered today and tomorrow
Reuben Gregg Brewer (Enbridge): It is easy to get caught up in the fact that Enbridge has increased its dividend, in Canadian dollars, for 30 years and currently has a lofty 5.5% dividend yield. Those two facts do, indeed, make it a very attractive dividend stock.
But what about the business that backs the dividend? That’s where the real magic is here. Enbridge started out largely transporting oil through its fee-based energy infrastructure system. Looking at the direction the world was going, it started to add more and more natural gas transportation assets to its system, including regulated natural gas utilities. And, along the way, it dipped its toe into clean energy investments, with some sizable stakes in offshore wind farm assets in Europe. The trend is what’s important to note.
Essentially, Enbridge is a reliable dividend-paying energy stock that is changing its business along with the changing energy needs of the world. That is, in fact, the goal that management is pursuing. And it means that you, as a dividend investor, can comfortably own Enbridge even through the ongoing, likely decades-long, shift from dirtier fuels to cleaner ones.
The only drawback here is actually tied to the lofty dividend yield. Enbridge isn’t likely to be a fast-growing business, so the yield is going to make up a huge portion of your total return. But if you are focused on generating a large income stream from your investments, that probably won’t bother you much, if at all.
Strong earnings and dividend growth ahead
Neha Chamaria (Brookfield Asset Management): Brookfield Asset Management is among the largest alternative asset managers in the world, with over $1 trillion of assets under management (AUM). It’s a global powerhouse, operating in over 50 countries across five verticals: infrastructure, renewable power and energy transition, real estate, private equity, and credit. Here’s why the stock has caught my attention: The company has just announced bold growth plans through 2030.
Of its $1 trillion AUM, roughly $560 billion is fee-bearing capital. That’s the portion of its assets on which Brookfield Asset Management charges management fees, also its primary source of revenue. As of Dec. 31, 2024, 87% of that fee-bearing capital was perpetual (fees coming from its permanent capital vehicles and funds) or long-term (fees locked in for at least 10 years). That makes Brookfield Asset Management’s revenue and cash flows incredibly stable and predictable and also supports dividend growth. Brookfield Asset Management last increased its dividend by 15% earlier this year.
Brookfield Asset Management expects to more than double its fee-bearing capital base to $1.2 trillion by 2030, driven by growth in existing businesses and new verticals like insurance and wealth management. The company is off to a strong start in 2025, with its fee-based earnings rising 16% year over year in the second quarter. Notable recent announcements include an agreement with tech giant Google to deliver up to 3,000 megawatts of hydroelectric capacity in the U.S. during the quarter and a $10 billion investment in Sweden to develop artificial intelligence infrastructure.
With its earnings stability and massive growth targets, Brookfield Asset Management is a rock-solid stock to buy for 2025 and beyond.
Focused on capitalizing on these megatrends
Matt DiLallo (Brookfield Infrastructure): Brookfield Infrastructure is a leading global infrastructure investor. Part of the Brookfield Corporation family, along with Brookfield Asset Management, this entity owns and operates a diversified portfolio of crucial infrastructure assets across the utility, energy midstream, transportation, and data sectors.
The company focuses on deploying capital into infrastructure that capitalizes on three major global investment megatrends: digitalization, decarbonization, and deglobalization. The company sees a multitrillion-dollar investment opportunity ahead across these themes, particularly in infrastructure to support AI, such as data centers, semiconductor fabrication facilities, and natural gas power plants. Brookfield has already committed to investing significant capital to capitalize on this opportunity, including building a backlog of $5.9 billion of data infrastructure capital projects that it expects to complete over the next two to three years.
Brookfield has also secured several acquisitions this year. It’s investing $1.3 billion to buy interests in a U.S. refined products pipeline system, a U.S. bulk fiber network provider, and a North American railcar leasing portfolio. These new investments will boost its cash flow as the deals close in the coming quarters.
Brookfield’s powerful combination of organic growth drivers and acquisitions-driven expansion positions it to deliver more than 10% annual funds from operations (FFO) per share growth in 2025 and beyond. That will drive Brookfield’s ability to increase its more than 4%-yielding dividend by 5% to 9% annually. This compelling mix of income and growth makes Brookfield a no-brainer stock to buy and hold for the long term.
Matt DiLallo has positions in Alphabet, Brookfield Asset Management, Brookfield Corporation, Brookfield Infrastructure, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, and Enbridge. Neha Chamaria has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Reuben Gregg Brewer has positions in Enbridge. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Brookfield, Brookfield Corporation, and Enbridge. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Asset Management and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
AN INFLUENCER with dwarfism has urged people to think twice about the way they speak to “little people”.
Lucy Sleight has made a name for herself as someone to watch in the social media world, and has a whopping 20.7 million likes on her TikTok page.
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Influencer Lucy Sleight took to her TikTok page to share a video in which she explained the things she finds “patronising as a little person”Credit: tiktok/@lucysleight2
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She said she can’t stand it when people get down on their knees to talk to her – or use her head as an arm restCredit: instagram/lucysleight
She uses her platform to share fashion and beauty advice, but recently shared a video in which she opened up about some of the things she finds most difficult about being somebody with dwarfism.
One thing she can’t stand is when people “full on get on their knees” to talk to her, as she said it gives her “second hand embarrassment” for what they look like.
Instead, she urged them to sit down while she stands up, so that they’re at similar heights.
And don’t even think about patting her on the head – or using her as an armrest.
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“Like girl please!” she sighed in the TikTok, which she captioned “things I find patronising as a little person”.
“This hasn’t actually happened to me many times thank God.
“Because if somebody did I’d literally be like excuse me. Like who do you think I am?
“I am not an object!”
She can’t stand it when people call her “cute”, which happens a lot – especially when she’s out with her boyfriend, who also has dwarfism.
“I want to be gorgeous. I want to be beautiful,” she said.
Bullied boy with dwarfism, 9, urges other victims to ‘stand up for yourself’ in inspirational message after shocking vid
“I want to be amazing. I want to be incredible.
“And I feel like me personally. I associate the word cute with like small things or younger things.
“Like I’d call my nephew cute.
“I’m 26. I don’t want to be cute!”
Lucy also took aim at people who call her “inspirational” just because she’s a dwarf, as she said she wants to be considered an inspiration to others because of the things she does with her platform – not just because of her condition.
And she can’t stand it when people “overcompensate” in the way they talk to her, and end up talking to her like she’s “three years old”.
“I just want to reiterate like I know all those things I’ve mentioned are like are harmless,” she concluded the video, which has had over 357,000 views on the social media site.
“People are being nice, but it’s just sometimes the way things come across.”
The comments section was immediately filled with people having their say on Lucy’s advice, as one wrote: “I hate it when people infantalise people with dwarfism or visible disabilities.
“All of these comments must be so infuriating and annoying.”
“What is wrong with people?” another sighed.
“I don’t see you as anything different.
“You’re a beautiful human with an amazing personality!”
“As a wheelchair user and someone with cerebral palsy, I relate to all of these! Drives me mad,” a third admitted.
Wedding Dress Controversy: Rumours begin circulating that there’s tension between Nicola and Victoria Beckham after Nicola chooses not to wear a Victoria Beckham-designed wedding gown. Nicola later clarifies in August 2022 (and again in March 2023) that Victoria’s atelier couldn’t make the dress in time, but reports in May 2025 suggest Victoria actually changed her mind about making the dress.
Post-Wedding (2022 onwards): Minimal interaction between Nicola and Victoria on social media, and noticeable absence of Nicola at key Beckham family events.
May 2025:David Beckham’s 50th Birthday Snub: Brooklyn and Nicola are notably absent from David Beckham’s 50th birthday celebrations in London, despite being invited. Reports suggest their absence was due to Brooklyn not wanting to be in the same room as Kim Turnbull, the girlfriend of Romeo who had previously been reported to have been dating Brooklyn, who David allegedly opted to have at the party over Nicola.
Rumours emerge of a falling out between Brooklyn and his younger brother Romeo, reportedly due to Romeo’s new girlfriend, DJ Kim Turnbull, who allegedly had a past connection with Brooklyn.
Reports surface that the Beckham parents are “hurt and disappointed” that Brooklyn is “playing no part in family life.” Sources claim that tensions between Brooklyn and Nicola and his parents are “definitely not beyond repair.”
July 2025: Reports indicate David and Victoria are “desperate” to reconcile with Brooklyn. Brooklyn publicly wishes his sister Harper a happy 14th birthday on Instagram, tagging Nicola, which is seen as a potential “olive branch” and a rare public message to his family amid the rumored rift.
Brooklyn UNFOLLOWS his brothers Romeo and Cruz just 24 hours after his birthday message to Harper. Nicola quickly follows suit and also ditches the Beckham bros from her Instagram following. Romeo and Cruz are now also no longer following Brooklyn.
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Romeo also opted for a throwback snap with his cousinCredit: Instagram
Tim Skipper is tapping a trusted ally to help him steady UCLA’s football team for the rest of the season.
The interim coach is finalizing the hiring of veteran assistant Kevin Coyle as a member of his defensive staff in a move that could bolster the team after the departure of defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe, according to one person close to the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly because the hiring has not been completed.
The hope is that Coyle could join the Bruins before they open Big Ten Conference play at Northwestern on Saturday.
It would be a familiar pairing.
When Skipper served as Fresno State’s interim coach last season, Coyle ran a unit that ranked third in the Mountain West Conference in total defense and fourth in scoring defense to help the team reach the Idaho Potato Bowl.
The challenge could be far greater with the Bruins (0-3), who have given up 36 points and 431 yards per game to rank among the worst defenses in major college football. Coyle is expected to help the staff as part of what Skipper has described as a collaborative approach to running the defense.
Coyle, 69, started this season as a senior defensive analyst at Syracuse. He has made multiple stops as a defensive coordinator in college and the NFL, serving in that capacity at Holy Cross, the U.S. Merchant Marine, Maryland and the Miami Dolphins. In 2019, Coyle was head coach of the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football after winning a national title the previous season with Louisiana State as a defensive analyst under coach Ed Orgeron.
Coyle spent two stints as Fresno State’s defensive coordinator, first under coach Pat Hill from 1997-2000 before returning prior to the 2022 season and remaining through the last game of 2024. Coyle also spent 13 seasons with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals as a cornerbacks and defensive backs coach.
Coyle replaces Malloe, a universally beloved and respected assistant who left the team last week as part of what was described as a mutual parting of the ways after the team’s disappointing start. UCLA’s defense, filled with eventual NFL players such as Laiatu Latu, Carson Schwesinger, Oluwafemi Oladejo and Jay Toia, had been a strength in 2023 and 2024 before experiencing a steep decline early this season.
The fallout from UCLA coach DeShaun Foster’s dismissal deepened Wednesday when interim coach Tim Skipper disclosed that defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe had agreed to “mutually part ways” with the team, depriving the Bruins of one of their most respected assistant coaches.
Meeting with reporters for the first time since he was selected to coach the team for the rest of the season, Skipper said he didn’t know the specifics of Malloe’s departure. One person close to the coaching staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, told The Times that Malloe couldn’t get past blaming himself for the team’s 0-3 start, even suggesting that he be fired instead of Foster, so it was agreed that it would be best if he took time to regroup and focus on himself.
UCLA interim head football coach Tim Skipper claps as players participate in practice at Drake Stadium on Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
It’s believed that Skipper will be given the resources needed to bolster his coaching staff if he wanted to bring in another assistant. In the meantime, Skipper said the team would take a collaborative approach among remaining staff to coaching the defense.
Malloe was a favorite of players and was known for demanding as much from himself as anyone on the team, choking up early last season when he discussed the need to fix the Bruins’ defense. After Malloe made two personnel switches, moving Oluwafami Oladejo from linebacker to edge rusher while elevating linebacker Carson Schwesinger into the starting lineup, UCLA’s defense went on to be a team strength.
Even though UCLA’s defense struggled in the early going this season, giving up 36 points and 431 yards per game, Malloe remained universally adored by players.
“I know some of the defensive guys loved him so much, and sorry to see him go,” offensive tackle Garrett DiGiorgio said. “Initial reaction as a man, he’s a great person, great family person, and he brought so much value to this team. It’s just unfortunate that I feel like he felt somewhat responsible, along with Foster as well. All we can do is support him on his next step, and hopefully he can come back and see the guys at some point.”
There were no immediate roster defections, Skipper saying that every player was accounted for going into one of the team’s longest practices of the season. Players will have 30 days to enter the transfer portal after their coach bid them farewell during an emotional meeting Sunday morning.
DiGiorgio said Foster told the players who were able to attend the hastily arranged meeting early in the team’s bye week to keep their heads up and keep pushing. Making things all the more difficult was the culpability that some players beared for the team’s fortunes.
“I felt somewhat accountable as a player and as a captain,” DiGiorgio said, “of letting him down as head coach.”
UCLA interim head football coach Tim Skipper talks with media before practice at Drake Stadium on Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Skipper acknowledged the strain of replacing a close friend who had visited his parents’ house and eaten his mother’s cooking, saying he considered Foster part of his family.
“It definitely wasn’t just great feelings and things like that,” Skipper said of the situation, “but we both know we’ve got to move on.”
This is the second time in as many seasons that Skipper will serve as an interim coach after taking over for Jeff Tedford in July 2024 and guiding Fresno State to a 6-7 record that included an appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Having served in an inconspicuous role since his arrival as special assistant to the head coach in the middle of July, Skipper spent part of the last few days introducing himself to players and letting them know about his history as a former middle linebacker at Fresno State who has made coaching stops at eight schools.
First impressions have been positive.
“His initial energy and just the way he is in meetings,” DiGiorgio said, “I think he’s trying to uplift us as athletes and he’s not really trying to focus too much on what happened but more on the future and what we can do.”
Skipper was upbeat in his first public remarks since taking over for Foster, shaking every reporter’s hand before encouraging them to call him “Skip,” his preferred nickname. He said he would treat this bye week as a sort of mini-training camp before shifting into game preparation mode for the Bruins’ Big Ten Conference opener against Northwestern on Sept. 27.
“We are completely resetting,” Skipper said. “We’re not going to dwell on the past, we’re not going to dream about the future. We’re going to worry about right now.”
How do the Bruins go from the Big Ten’s only winless team to one that can start having success?
“We need to change our style of play, as far as how hard and how fast and how physical we play, OK?” Skipper said. “Starting with me and the rest of the staff, we have to make sure we simplify things so guys can play full speed ahead and there’s less thinking. That’s kind of my whole motto.”
Rediscovering the joy in football is part of that new approach. DiGiorgio said players are starting to play music in the locker room again, the offensive lineman bringing in his own portable sound system for everyone to enjoy.
“We’ve got to be able to come out here and not treat practice as practice,” DiGiorgio said, “but more as something that we get to do and we have the ability to be on this team.”
DiGiorgio said players would also meet with athletic director Martin Jarmond every Sunday to talk about how things are going with the team and try to build momentum for the rest of the season. Jarmond received public support for the coaching change Wednesday in a statement from Chancellor Julio Frenk provided to The Times.
“At a top university like UCLA, a successful football program plays a powerful role in building community and strengthening connections,” Frenk said in the statement. “I support Martin Jarmond’s decision to replace the football coach. As the leader of our athletics program, he will oversee the process of hiring a new head coach who will elevate UCLA football to national prominence and uphold our commitment to ensuring the best experience for our student-athletes.”
As far as the rest of this season goes, Skipper said he wouldn’t measure success by wins and losses but style of play.
“We need to get out there and give a product that everybody’s proud of,” Skipper said, “that’s exactly all I’m worried about.”
ARLINGTON, Texas — Angels manager Ron Washington said Monday he is recovering from quadruple bypass heart surgery, the first time he has publicly addressed the health issues that have sidelined him since late June.
He made the announcement while visiting the Angels for the first time since the operation eight weeks ago in California. He is not returning to manage this season but hopes to have that opportunity next year.
Washington, at 73 the oldest manager in the majors, was last in the dugout for a 7-3 loss to the New York Yankees on June 19. The following day, the team said Washington was out indefinitely because of health issues after experiencing shortness of breath and appearing fatigued toward the end of that four-game series in New York.
“This happened fast,” Washington said. “I wasn’t feeling very good on our last trip to New York … and I finally decided to go to the trainer and let him see what was going on. My ankles were swollen. And he called the doctors in from New York and they knew right away what was going on, why my fluid was going into my ankles.”
He was cleared by Yankees doctors to fly home with the team and underwent tests after getting back to Southern California. The Angels announced on June 27 that he was going on medical leave for the rest of the season. Washington had surgery three days later.
Washington said the Angels were on a road trip when he was released from the hospital on July 7, so he got clearance to fly home to Texas where his wife could assist him with his recovery.
The well-liked Washington revealed the details of his medical issues before the Angels opened a three-game series in Texas. He plans to continue on to Houston before skipping the final stop on the road trip in Kansas City. Washington hopes to be with the team the rest of the season after the Angels return home.
Washington is the Rangers’ winningest manager with a 664-611 record from 2007 to 2014. He led them to their first two World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011.
After initially returning to Oakland’s organization for two seasons, Washington then was on the Atlanta Braves’ staff from 2017 to 2023 and part of their 2021 World Series championship.
With a young roster after Shohei Ohtani’s departure in free agency and with three-time AL MVP Mike Trout limited to 29 games because of injuries, the Angels went 63-99 last year in Washington’s first season as manager, a franchise record for losses. They were 36-38 before Washington left the dugout this year, and entered Monday night’s game 25-31 with Ray Montgomery filling in for him.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, who led them to their first World Series title two seasons ago, is the second-oldest manager in the majors. The four-time World Series champion turned 70 in April.
These AI leaders boast wide moats, and their stocks trade for excellent value right now.
For all the attention artificial intelligence (AI) has received over the last three years, it’s possible we’re still very early in the spread of the technology. Just 9.2% of the 1.2 million U.S. businesses surveyed by the U.S. Census Bureau in June said that they have adopted AI in parts of their operations. That number continues to climb every quarter, though.
There’s a long runway ahead for AI, but that doesn’t make every stock in the space a long-term winner. It’s likely AI stocks will face some major headwinds at some point in the not-too-distant future. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, says we’re currently in a bubble, but that doesn’t diminish the long-term importance of AI innovations.
The best AI stocks are well-positioned to capitalize on the current environment of growing adoption and tremendous innovation, but also maintain long-term competitive advantages that will ensure they remain great investments well into the future. On top of that, they have to offer good value that growth investors expect to receive. Many AI stocks are arguably overpriced, but here are three worth buying right now.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Microsoft
Microsoft(MSFT 0.56%) increased its investment in OpenAI in early 2023, which gave it both a major customer for its cloud computing segment, Azure, and the ability to quickly build new AI services for both Azure and its enterprise software segment. The company has produced tremendous results on both fronts.
Azure is now a $75 billion business, with revenue increasing 34% year over year in fiscal 2025. Not only is Microsoft growing a $75 billion business that quickly, but it’s also accelerating revenue. Azure sales grew 39% year over year in its most recent quarter. Revenue could continue to speed up as management reiterated that the cloud business remains capacity-constrained on its most recent earnings call.
Microsoft is spending heavily to support that growth. Management expects capital expenditures (capex) for the current quarter to climb to $30 billion, jumping from $24 billion last quarter.
But the top-line growth for Azure appears to be worth the up-front spending. Remaining performance obligations climbed 35% last quarter, so there’s still a lot of unearned revenue for Microsoft to realize. Management expects another strong quarter for Azure with 37% revenue growth.
Microsoft’s enterprise software business has also benefited from developing new AI services. The company has created its own suite of AI assistants for use across its software, dubbed Copilot, which provides a way to increase revenue per seat while further locking in customers.
But the real potential may be in its Copilot Studio software, which allows businesses to use foundation models like OpenAI’s GPT-5 to create their own AI agents using proprietary data. Microsoft’s Productivity and Business segment grew 16% last quarter, and management expects to maintain similar growth this quarter.
Both the near-term and long-term look good for Microsoft, with strong growth for Azure and Microsoft 365 driving tremendous free cash flow despite huge capex. The stock currently trades for almost 33 times forward earnings estimates, which is certainly a premium to the market.
But with expectations for double-digit revenue growth, steady operating margins, and plenty of cash to buy back shares, the stock price looks more than fair.
2. Alphabet
Many expect AI to negatively affect Alphabet(GOOG 2.98%)(GOOGL 3.10%) as chatbots displace its core Google Search, but that’s yet to happen. Google Search revenue increased 12% year over year in its most recent quarter, accelerating from 10% growth in the first quarter.
That strength is driven by Google’s efforts to integrate generative AI into its search product. Its AI Overviews have driven higher engagement and user satisfaction, according to management. And AI-powered features like Circle to Search and Google Lens have increased search traffic for high-value products. Google’s new AI Mode pushes users into a more robust AI-powered search, similar to Perplexity.
The real growth driver for Alphabet is its cloud computing platform, Google Cloud. The business grew 32% last quarter and demonstrated strong operating leverage. Operating margin expanded to 21% from 11% last year and 18% last quarter. Based on earnings results from competitors, there’s still a lot of room to increase those margins as well.
Alphabet is also spending heavily to keep up with demand for its cloud AI services. Management increased its capex guidance for the full year to $85 billion from $75 billion.
That spending may be weighing on the stock, but the biggest things burdening Alphabet are regulatory concerns. Last year, the courts determined Google operates an illegal monopoly, and it faces remedies that could involve divesting key assets. Some have speculated it may have to sell Chrome, its web browser, for which Perplexity made an offer of $34.5 billion.
Despite the overhang, Alphabet shares look very attractive. The stock price is just 20 times forward earnings estimates. That’s below the S&P 500 average and the lowest among the “Magnificent Seven” stocks. That price more than factors in the uncertainty around Google and offers a significant discount on the fast-growing cloud computing business.
3. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing(TSM 2.49%) has seen demand for its industry-leading chipmaking capabilities surge as companies like Microsoft and Alphabet look to stock their data center servers with high-end GPUs, networking chips, and other silicon. That has pushed the already high market share of TSMC (as it’s also known) to new levels, with the company commanding over two-thirds of all spending on contract semiconductor manufacturing.
TSMC’s massive technology lead benefits from a virtuous cycle. Its technology attracts big contracts from chip designers like Nvidia and Apple. In turn, it can invest more in building out capacity and developing the next-generation technology. That ensures that it’s well-positioned to win the next contract from those big customers while attracting new customers as well.
Just like Microsoft and Alphabet, TSMC is also spending heavily to meet demand for its services. Management expects to spend around $40 billion this year to build out capacity, including ramping up its next-generation 2nm node, which promises better performance while using less power. That capex budget is a 34% increase from last year.
After strong second-quarter results, management raised its full-year revenue growth guidance to 30% from the mid-20% range. The long-term outlook remains strong as well, with expectations for 20% average annual increases from 2025 to 2029. That number may be revised higher since it’s shown strength in the AI market, which is driving a good amount of that rise.
And TSMC’s gross margin has climbed close to 60%. While the company typically sees a drop in gross margin as it ramps up a new node, it’s already seeing strong demand for its 2nm chips and charging a hefty step-up in price. As a result, the company should be able to maintain very high gross margins in 2026 and beyond.
Investors can buy shares for just 23 times forward earnings, an exceptionally low price for a company growing this fast with a long runway ahead of it. Investors may be keeping the price low due to the threat of tariffs on the company’s finances. TSMC received an exemption from tariffs on semiconductors thanks to its huge investment in its Arizona manufacturing center.
Even if it is subject to tariffs in the future, TSMC remains the best-in-class chip manufacturer and an essential company in the future of AI. As such, it can blunt the financial impact, and it looks like a great buy at today’s price.
EXCLUSIVE: Mark Wolters, who runs the successful YouTube channel Wolters World, explained that he felt compelled to provide “honest” advice to travellers after seeing numerous “misleading” blogs and videos
Mark Wolters runs the successful YouTube channel Wolters World(Image: Wolters World/YouTube)
He explained that he was driven to create his videos after noticing many “misleading” blogs and felt it “wasn’t right” for families to “waste their hard earned vacation time”. He previously shared the “least friendly” country he’s visited for tourists. But, in an exclusive interview, he had no hesitation in naming his five favourite countries by continent.
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro city view with Christ the Redeemer Statue(Image: Pintai Suchachaisri via Getty Images)
Mark explained: “My favorite place to visit in South America is Brazil. I lived there and have family there and it is just such a wonderful place with the food, the nature, and the crazy fun times you can have there.”
Brazil is the largest country in South America and one of the world’s biggest democracies. It boasts diverse landscapes including the Amazon, the world’s largest jungle, and is synonymous with world-class football, being the home of Pelé.
The nation boasts an incredible diversity of wildlife, featuring a staggering 600 mammal species. Rio de Janeiro (pictured above) ranks among its most sought-after tourist hotspots.
France
Paris cityscape with Eiffel Tower in the distance (Image: Alexander Spatari via Getty Images)
Mark revealed: “In Europe, it is a toss up between France and Italy. They both have great food and if you speak a bit of the local language you can make so many friends there. So I can never pass up going to either of them.”
Famous for its cuisine and culture, France stands as a significant force globally and maintains membership in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation). Located in Western Europe, it shares borders with Germany, Belgium, Italy and Spain.
Boasting legendary sites including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum, and the Arc de Triomphe, France serves as a European cultural capital and an enormously popular holiday destination.
Italy
Buildings reflected along the Grand Canal in Venice(Image: Gary Yeowell via Getty Images)
A major attraction for visitors and amongst Mark’s top picks, Italy represents another country celebrated for its gastronomy and heritage. Many of history’s most famous artistic figures originated from Italy, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Caravaggio.
This Southern European country also houses some of the globe’s most recognised monuments, including the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and the Roman Forum. Beyond the capital, Rome, holidaymakers flock to other remarkable destinations like the stunning cities of Venice and Florence.
Rwanda
Mount Karisimbi in Musanze, Rwanda(Image: Ari Beser via Getty Images)
Mark explained: “In Africa we love visiting Rwanda. It was such an incredible adventure when we visited the first time. We fell in love with it.”
Rwanda, a landlocked nation in East Africa, is known as the “land of a thousand hills”. It’s a small yet densely populated country that borders Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Home to the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups, Rwanda boasts rainforests, majestic mountains, volcanoes, and even the endangered mountain gorilla.
China
The Great Wall of China(Image: zhaojiankang via Getty Images)
Mark said: “In Asia, I think my wife would say Japan, but I loved teaching and traveling in China. So much history and so much food!
China, one of the world’s most populous nations and a leading industrial powerhouse, has a rich history spanning 4,000 years. The modern People’s Republic of China was established in 1949 following the Communist Revolution.
Tourists flock to see the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and the Terracotta Army. Not to mention, it’s famously home to the Giant Panda.
Heartbeat was a staple of British television for nearly two decades. So what happened to the likes of Nick Berry, Tricia Penrose, and Mark Jordan after the North Yorkshire-based show ended?
Kelly Smith Screen Time Reporter
10:38, 13 Aug 2025
The beloved ITV series spanned 18 seasons, and despite ending in 2010, the long-standing police period drama Heartbeat is still a cornerstone of British television to this day.
Airing for nearly two decades, the show spawned numerous spin-offs and one-off television specials, which is a true reflection of its popularity with viewers.
Fans followed the lives of those who lived in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield during the 1960s and the well-respected local policemen and villagers as they grappled with crime, community tensions, and personal dramas.
In the very beginning, we were met with the charming PC Nick Rowan, played by Nick Berry, who was attempting to adapt to his new rural lifestyle after moving from London and joining the Yorkshire force.
With the show off air for more than 15 years now, we couldn’t help but wonder what the actors of the much-loved programme are doing today.
PC Nick Rowan
Nick gave up acting to spend time with family(Image: Photo by Colin Davey/Getty Images)
Nick Berry portrayed the renowned London police constable who relocated to the fictional town of Aidensfield, North Yorkshire, to live a more peaceful life after fleeing bustling London.
He moved to the village alongside his wife, Dr. Kate Rowan, and the pair very quickly became vital members of the town, helping to tackle crime and assisting with medical emergencies.
Notably, Nick also performed the show’s iconic theme tune, a cover of the Buddy Holly hit that shared its title with the show also helped to rocket his fame with the track reaching number two in the UK singles charts in 1992.
In 1998, viewers were left gutted when his character was written out of the beloved programme. The policeman decided to flee for Canada to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which formed the basis for the one-off special Heartbeat: Changing Places.
He went on to further his acting career, taking on a vital role in the 1999 drama series Harbour Lights and starring in the 2001 crime drama In Deep.
After In Deep finished in 2003, Nick announced he’d be taking a break from acting to focus on his family and other ventures, including his own production company.
Prior to landing his role as Nick Berry on the popular ITV series, he’d actually played the part of Simon Wicks on BBC One’s hit soap EastEnders.
Despite taking a break from acting, he did go on to make a special appearance as his former character, Simon, in 2012, which was his last and final TV stint since being on screens from 1976.
It is well documented that Nick married Rachel Robertson in 1994. The pair like to keep their private lives out of the spotlight. They share two sons and live in Epping, Essex.
Gina Bellamy
Tricia met her real life love on set(Image: ITV)
The landlady of the Aidensfield Arms, Gina Bellamy, was played by Tricia Penrose from 1993 until the ITV drama came to its end in 2010.
Tricia played a vital role and was the show’s longest-serving female cast member. Not only was Gina a popular fixture on the programme for 60s fashion and her incredible acting skills, but she also gave fans some amazing vocal performances during her long-standing career
In 2002, Tricia followed the path of her co-star Nick Berry and tried her hand in the singing world. She placed second on the show A Song For Europe, the UK’s competition to select their Eurovision entry.
Despite her song DJ Romeo being a huge hit with fans and judges, she was pipped to first place by Jessica Garlick, who represented Great Britain that year in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Her last notable acting role was in the popular legal drama Justice in 2011, but she has also appeared in series 11 of Celebrity Big Brother and ITV’s Who’s Doing the Dishes in 2014.
Tricia also got engaged to her on-screen love interest, PC Phil Bellamy, and the twosome recently announced their engagement on social media.
The actress shared: “My lovely Chris has proposed on our 7 year anniversary! Off to Tenerife now with my lovely fiancé to celebrate Mark Jordon.”
PC Phil Bellamy
Mark is engaged to co-star Tricia in real life
Mark Jordan played the charming, laid-back PC Phil Bellamy, who worked alongside Nick Berry and fell in love with Gina, not only on screen but also in real life.
He joined the show for its first series in 1992 and remained in the cast for fifteen years. A one-off documentary commemorating his departure, Heartbeat – Farewell Phil, was broadcast on Christmas Day in 2007.
After his departure, Mark took up roles in medical drama Casualty in 2009 and joined Hollyoaks in 2012.
He also became a series regular in Emmerdale in 2017, taking the role of Staff Sergeant Daz Spencer.
In his spare time, Mark is devoted to his charity work for Usher syndrome and often uses his social media pages to raise awareness, in the hope of finding a cure
Alf Ventress
William Simons sadly passed away(Image: ITV)
William Simons landed the accolade for the longest-standing member of the Heartbeat tribe, delighting viewers with his portrayal of the retired policeman for a complete 18-season journey.
Before his role on the ITV drama, William appeared in the police drama Cribb in 1979 and the detective series The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries in 1990.
His acting contributions also included various cameo appearances on programmes such as Coronation Street, The Darling Buds of May, Casualty, and Enemy at the Door.
In 2019, it was announced that William had tragically died at the age of 79 of “natural causes” with his management agency paying tribute.
They said: “He was a wonderful, kind, warm, witty, lovely human being and anyone who ever worked with him or knew him will be devastated.”
Every Heartbeat fan had a love-hate relationship with the charming scoundrel Claude Jeremiah Greengrass, played by the talented Bill Maynard.
He joined the programme from its very inception and remained a valued part of the cast until 2000, when his character returned for the Royal spin-off series in 2002.
Before his days on Heartbeat, Bill had already been somewhat of a TV legend as an actor and comedian and having starred in Great Scott – It’s Maynard! the 50s with Terry Scott, and featured in five pictures from the Carry On comedy series.
In 2018, we saw Bill in his last TV appearance, taking part in the Celebrity Pointless, before his tragic death in the same year.
Bill’s last TV appearance was on an episode of Celebrity Pointless in 2018, before he suffered a tragic fall, breaking his hip, and later sadly died that same year in hospital.
Dr. Kate Rowan
Niamh went on to have a flourishing acting career
Niamh Cusack played the lovable Dr. Kate Rowan, the village doctor and first wife of heartthrob Nick Berry. But after three years on the show, she fell pregnant and decided to leave the ITV drama to focus on becoming a new mum.
In real life, Niamh was born into a family with deep roots within the performing arts industry and is affiliated to the Royal Shakespeare Company, she played Desdemona in Othello and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet during the 80s.
She also landed the role of Lady Macbeth in 2018 alongside Christopher Eccleston in Macbeth. She has recently appeared in We Live in Time, last year, 2024, alongside Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, as well as the dark comedy series Big Mood, also in 2024.
He said: “They are having the “Hulkster’s” funeral today, and I thought everybody would enjoy seeing this picture.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags flown at half-staff at all official buildings last Friday, which he declared Hulk Hogan Day in Florida.
Hogan was perhaps the biggest star in WWE’s long history, known for both his larger-than-life personality and his in-ring exploits.
WWE legend Ric Flair leads tributes to ‘close friend’ Hulk Hogan who has died aged 71
He was the main draw for the first WrestleMania in 1985 and was a fixture for years, facing everyone from Andre The Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even WWE co-founder Vince McMahon.
He had a neck surgery in May, and was rushed to the hospital afterwards over complications with his recovery.
In June, he suffered a series of health issues that left him reportedly unable to feel his legs or walk with a cane.
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Linda Hogan is pictured exiting the memorial serviceCredit: TheImageDirect.com
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Theo Von arrives in FloridaCredit: TheImageDirect.com
Hogan was also a celebrity outside the wrestling world, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, including Hogan Knows Best, a reality show about his life on VH1.
Hogan’s body will be cremated.
His daughter Brooke Bollea Oleksy, better known by her stage name Brooke Hogan, memorialized her father in a recent social media post.
“I am so grateful I knew the real version of him. Not just the one the world viewed through a carefully curated lens, she wrote on Instagram.”
Just days before his death, Hogan and Brooke shared a short but emotional conversation, per the National Enquirer.
“It was a tearful conversation, albeit a short one,” a source told the outlet.
“Brooke told her dad how much she loved him, how much she missed him. Hulk said he loved her, and he was sorry.”
Instantly recognisable in trademark bandana and shaggy, blond handlebar moustache, Hogan had long been a larger-than-life icon for middle America.
Hogan became such a big star that he was able to transcend wrestling and starred in the movie The Rock III withSylvester Stallone, as well as securing his own reality TV show, Hogan Knows Best.
Born Terry Gene Bollea in Augusta,Georgia, in 1953, his dad was a construction foreman father and his mum was a dance teacher.
At school, he was called a hippy because of his longhair, love ofrock musicand hatred ofAmerican footballdespite his physique.
Hulk Hogan tributes
Tributes have poured in for Hulk Hogan following his death at 71 years old.
“When I nearly lost my dad 8 years ago, one of the few people who was there for all of it was Hulk Hogan. My heart breaks for Nick and Brooke. Rest in peace, brother.” – Charlotte Flair
“Saddened To Hear About The Passing of Hulk Hogan…I Guess God Needed An Incredible Angel. R.I.P. My Friend.” – Sergeant Slaughter
“He Was One Of The First To Visit Me When I Was In The Hospital With A 2% Chance Of Living, And He Prayed By My Bedside. Hulk Also Lent Me Money When Reid Was Sick. Hulkster, No One Will Ever Compare To You! Rest In Peace My Friend!” – Ric Flair
“WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans.” – WWE
“Hulk Hogan was a great American icon. One of the first people I ever truly admired as a kid. The last time I saw him we promised we’d get beers together next time we saw each other. The next time will have to be on the other side, my friend! Rest in peace.” – Vice President JD Vance
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Hulk Hogan performing in Alabama in 1990Credit: Getty
At 106-3 on Sunday morning, England were toast, only for Yorkshire’s finest to find individual inspiration to make the unlikely seem probable.
On this ground 20 years ago, another epic series was on a knife edge. On that occasion, it was Kevin Pietersen belting Brett Lee into the stands that secured the Ashes for England. Two decades on and Harry Brook, the modern day spirit of KP, decided attack was the only was to go.
For Joe Root, this Test was always likely to be emotional, a celebration of the life of his mentor Graham Thorpe. How fitting that Root would play with Thorpe-like cool at the home of the great left-hander. Even a heart of stone would have been moved by Root celebrating his hundred by pulling on Thorpe’s trademark headband.
Two contrasting centuries, a tired India attack flogged to all parts. Siraj treading on the boundary rope to reprieve Brook evoked memories of Trent Boult doing the same for Stokes in the 2019 World Cup final – another nerve-shredding Sunday.
When Root and Brook were together, 200 runs to win seemed like a doddle. After they departed, 35 seemed impossible.
India must wonder what they have to do to beat this England team. It was India on the wrong end of a chase of 378 at Edgbaston in 2022, then 371 at Headingley in June.
But something stirred in Siraj, Krishna and Akash Deep. Perhaps it was the beat of the dhol drum that provided the soundtrack to India’s last push.
Brook’s bat went further than the ball when he was caught at mid-off for 111. Bethell looked like what he is – a 21-year-old in his first home Test with only one first-class match since December – in scratching around for five off 31 balls. A wild hack and middle stump removed.
Even the tension got to Root. Play and miss, play and miss, lbw review, edge behind. The Oval came unglued.
It is hard to see how England would have won had the weather not intervened. Smith and Overton, the only Jamies to play Test cricket for England, were left with the task of resisting the touring pacemen and what felt like every Indian in London.
The home side were the happier to scurry to the dressing room. The boos of the crowd when the close was confirmed probably sounded like sweet music.
They won’t finish this season with the best record in history, as they could win every one of their remaining games and still not realize the 120-win season that was envisioned for them.
They might not even finish this season with the best record in the National League — or in their own division, for that matter.
The Dodgers look beatable.
Their perceived vulnerability didn’t necessarily inspire the frenzied action around baseball before the trade deadline, but it certainly didn’t discourage it either.
With blood in the water and the World Series field wide open, several contenders moved to prepare their rosters for October. No team changed as much as the San Diego Padres, who are suddenly positioned to turn the Dodgers’ title defense into a humiliation exercise.
“We went in knowing, OK, we have a team that can compete and play deep and ultimately we have these needs and let’s go fill them,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller said.
Mason Miller, who throws a fastball with an average velocity of 101 mph, will turbocharge what was already the No. 1 bullpen in baseball. Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn will improve the balance of a top-heavy lineup featuring Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. Freddy Fermin will address a hole at catcher. JP Sears and Nestor Cortes will add depth to a rotation on the mend.
Particularly revealing of the Padres’ ambitions was what Preller didn’t do. He didn’t trade closer Robert Suarez, an impending free agent. He didn’t trade underperforming former All-Star pitcher Dylan Cease, who will also hit the market this winter.
The Padres were only three games behind the Dodgers at the trade deadline, making Preller’s team a legitimate threat to overtake them in the division and cost them a top-two seed in the NL, for which the reward is a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The danger didn’t compel the Dodgers to act, their relative inactivity in this situation reflecting the contrasting philosophies of the two organizations.
The Dodgers make deals on their terms. When president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman overpay for players — the combined $85 million the Dodgers spent over the winter on relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates is an example — it’s usually by accident.
The mentality often results in the market dictating to the Dodgers what they can and can’t do. For better or worse, the Padres have elected a proactive approach.
Landing Miller required to part with Leo De Vries, an 18-year-old shortstop who is widely considered one of the five best prospects in the entire sport.
Preller knew what he gave up.
“He’s going to be a very good major league player,” Preller said of De Vries.
Preller has done this before, He traded Max Fried and he traded Emmanuel Clase and he traded Josh Naylor. When he acquired Juan Soto at the 2022 trade deadline, he sent the Washington Nationals a package that included three future All-Stars in CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore and James Wood.
Impact players have considerable price tags, and they’re higher in some years than in others. The Dodgers examined the prices of the best relievers and outfielders available, and they settled for more affordable options. The Padres went for it, with Preller saying he was confident the team’s scouting and player development departments would once again replenish the farm system.
“In different points in time over the last few years, we’ve been able to be in this position, to be able to make these types of decisions and calls,” Preller said. “It’s just because we have good players that other teams want.”
The Padres weren’t alone. The two New York teams reconstructed their bullpens, the Philadelphia Phillies found a closer in Jhoan Duan and the Seattle Mariners added some pop to their lineup by dealing for Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor.
Why wouldn’t these teams be bold?
The Dodgers couldn’t make this a one-horse race. Their inability to separate themselves from the pack presented competitors with opportunities to pass them by at the trade deadline. Some of them might have.
England pace bowler Chris Woakes looks likely to be ruled out of the remainder of the decisive fifth Test against India after suffering a shoulder injury on the opening day at The Oval.
Woakes was tumbling to make a boundary stop late on Thursday when he landed awkwardly. He went from the field with his left arm in a makeshift sling, in obvious discomfort.
The Warwickshire man is likely to have a scan overnight and England will provide an update on Friday.
“It doesn’t look great,” fellow pace bowler Gus Atkinson told BBC Sport. “I will be surprised if he takes any part in the game.”
Atkinson added: “It’s the last game of the series and when anyone gets injured it’s a shame. We’re hoping it’s not too bad. Whatever it is, he will get full support from everyone.”
Woakes was still at the ground after India closed Thursday on 204-6, undergoing treatment and assessment from the England medical staff.
It is cruel on Woakes, the only England pace bowler to have featured in every Test of the gruelling five-match series.
On flat pitches in the previous four Tests, he struggled to make a impact, taking 10 wickets. On day one at The Oval, Woakes had India opener KL Rahul play on to his stumps before suffering the injury.
Given his poor record away from home, Woakes was already facing a battle to be part of England’s squad for the Ashes tour this winter. At 36, there will be concerns this injury threatens his future in international cricket.
Woakes’ injury is also a huge blow to an England pace attack already depleted by injuries and exhaustion.
Captain Ben Stokes, England’s leading wicket-taker in this series, is missing the final Test with a shoulder injury, while Mark Wood is a long-term absentee. Olly Stone is only just returning to fitness following a knee injury.
Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer were both left out at The Oval following their previous workload in this series.
A fusion of body horror and couples therapy, it centers on a sunken cave with a pool of water that, when sipped, makes cells thirst to meld with the nearest mammal. In the opening sequence, this urge to merge overtakes two dogs who smush together like the monster mutt in “The Thing.” (Thankfully, the camera doesn’t linger; the whimpering is plenty.) Now, it’s Tim and Millie’s turn. The unhappy boyfriend and girlfriend, played by real-life spouses Dave Franco and Alison Brie, have moved from the city to the forest anticipating that the scenery change will make or break their relationship. Blend is more like it.
How does ancient philosophy squeeze into a gooey metaphor for codependence? According to Jamie (Damon Herriman), a history teacher at the school where Millie works, Plato’s “Symposium” claims that humans were once rebellious, eight-limbed beings who tumbled around doing cartwheels. Zeus cleaved us pesky mortals in two as a form of control, figuring that we’d be so consumed by the quest to find our other half that we’d never get around to toppling Mount Olympus — and if that didn’t work, he’d leave us “on one leg, hopping.” (Shanks can save that for the sequel.)
It’s worth noting that Plato was kidding, a three-millennium-old joke that’s essentially, “Take my wife — Zeus!” But mating does preoccupy our mental bandwidth, and welding together two lives is unwieldy. Tim and Millie have been dating for a decade, from their hopeful 20s to their resigned 30s, and have become so mismatched in maturity that their efforts to stick together feel less like giddy Grecian handsprings and more like a three-legged race. As Millie confesses early on, “I’m not sure if we love each other or if we’re just used to each other.”
Brie and Franco lend the fictional couple their intimacy, but dial down their spark. Only a few scenes allow their characters any welcome emotional connection. There’s no sense of peeking behind their celebrity curtain, so we’re with Millie’s best friend Cath (Mia Morrissey) when she openly wishes the pair would split for good. But Millie and Tim have leaned on each other so long that neither is sure how to stand on their own. The emotional and physical pain to come has the sense of being aboard a train chugging toward certain disaster. There’s opportunities to jump off, but no one has the nerve to try.
Alison Brie, left, and Dave Franco in “Together.”
(Ben King / Neon)
Shanks is attuned to how a long-term twosome divides up duties (and identities), defining themselves by what each one contributes and, in the process, becoming less of a whole person. Tim can’t drive. Millie can’t cook. Tim is the broke musician. Millie has the steady job. “I’m the boring one,” she says begrudgingly. Meanwhile, the resentful girl struggles to label Tim’s role, stammering to Jamie that she lives with, “my partner, my Tim, my boy-partner Tim.”
“Boy-partner” sounds right. The design teams have outfitted Franco’s hipster with goofy sweatshirts and a fledgling mullet. He can’t even commit to the most famously noncommittal hairstyle. Yet, before long, Tim finds he’s unable to leave Millie’s side for a moment. Every time he touches her, the rest of the world seems to disappear: The focus goes shallow, the fine hairs on Brie’s skin dapple in the light, her muscles creak as loudly as tectonic plates. She’s confused. He keeps apologizing, becoming increasingly flustered and frantic.
The film will go on to have memorably fleshy visuals. (Picture massaging butter underneath the raw skin of a Thanksgiving turkey.) “It Happened One Night’s” Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable relied on a flimsy Wall of Jericho to keep themselves separated. Here, when things get tricky, Millie and Tim reach for an electric handsaw.
Gross? Totally. But empathetic too. Brie’s Millie is sensible and vulnerable, while Franco manages to makes us pity his bad boyfriend Tim. Part of his aloofness comes from grieving his father’s death and his mother’s subsequent mental breakdown; the rest is his shame that his rock ‘n’ roll dreams have yet to become reality. “I thought you’d make Millie cooler,” her younger brother Luke (Jack Kenny) says. “Instead …” Luke adds with a snort, as the rest of the sentence slides into the abyss, taking Tim’s ego with it.
For a first-time feature director, Shanks expertly fuses himself to the audience’s POV. He knows that we know where this is going — the title gives the game away — so his job is to goose the inevitable in ways that make us squirm and gasp. Working with the cinematographer Germain McMicking and the production designer Nicholas Dare, he plunks us into standard jump scare scenarios — the dark hallway, the subterranean lair — and then tricks our eyes into looking at the wrong corner of the frame.
His talent for misdirection also applies to the narrative. Shanks expects us to clock the unacknowledged wedding ring on Herriman’s Jamie, a Hallmark rom-com charmer, and so his script takes our suspicions and twists them once, twice and a third time for good measure. Even steeled for a plot point we’re dreading — the couple making the terrible choice to do something more adult than hold hands — when the scene finally arrives, it’s ickier and more humiliating than we could have imagined.
My quibbles with the ending are too close to spoilers to cite outright. But the delight of the film is that its editor Sean Lahiff has the rhythm of a shock comic. He favors nasty jolts and cartoonish rim shots, like when Millie advises Tim not to do anything stupid and Lahiff immediately smash-cuts to the guy running off full-tilt. Nothing about “Together” screams comedy, yet that’s precisely how it’s put together. Awkward humor is the skeleton under its prestige nightmare surface, even as it’s wonderfully, heartbreakingly tragic to watch our leads roil to melt together like mozzarella. How’s that for an update on the old quip? Make my wife — cheese!
‘Together’
Rated: R, for violent/disturbing content, sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief drug content
Cameron Mofid has recently completed his mission to visit every UN-recognised country and territory in the world and has now named two surprising countries among his favourites
Cameron Mofid named two surprising countries among his favourites (Image: @cameronmofid/Instagram)
An intrepid explorer who’s visited every country on Earth by the age of 25 has named two surprising countries among his favourites. Cameron Mofid, who hails from San Diego, California, set out on a mission to visit every UN-recognised country and territory in the world (a total of 195) while he was battling obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) during the pandemic.
In April, the plucky traveller ticked off his final nation when he and his friends visited the hermit kingdom of North Korea. With nearly 200 countries under his belt, picking a favourite may seem like an impossible task.
However, two nations stood out in particular for Cameron, both of which carry some strong warnings from the Foreign Office (FCDO). The first nation that he highlighted was Algeria, a destination he described as “unbelievable”.
He told CNN: “It’s one of my favourite countries in the whole world. The countries that receive the least amount of tourism are often the ones where you have the best experience, because you feel totally immersed in their culture.”
Cameron also expressed his appreciation for the Middle Eastern nation of Yemen, having visited the country in February 2023. He noted that walking through the streets was like “going back in time.”
Cameron set out on a mission to visit every UN-recognised country and territory (Image: @cameronmofid/Instagram)
He added: “To see people dress the same way that they were hundreds if not thousands of years ago. To see people living in mud houses, to see people still using flip phones.”
Algeria is in the north of Africa and is largely encompassed by the Sahara Desert, with the exception of the north, which is situated along the coast and is home to most of the population.
Its rich history includes a number of Arab and Berber dynasties that ruled between the 8th and 15th centuries, prior to its links to the Ottoman Empire and later annexation by France in 1848.
A view of the Algiers coast in Algeria (Image: Getty Images)
In terms of travel to Algeria, the FCDO has highlighted much of the country in green on its website. It means “see our travel advice before travelling”, but the border areas carry orange and red advisories.
It advises against all travel to within 30km of the country’s borders with Libya, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and certain provinces of Tunisia. In addition, the FCDO advises against all but essential travel within 30km of the rest of the Tunisian border.
A comparatively new state, Yemen is located in Western Asia on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering both the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, south of Saudi Arabia.
Jebal Shugruf in Haraz mountains in central Yemen (Image: Getty Images)
It has experienced a political crisis since 2011. It continues to be in the throes of a brutal civil war that has reportedly resulted in the deaths of more than 150,000 people and led to a humanitarian crisis that has seen 23 million people requiring aid.
The Foreign Office’s travel advice for Yemen is resolute. It advises against all travel to Yemen and urges anyone in the country to leave “immediately”, citing “unpredictable security conditions”.
It said terrorist attacks are very likely in Yemen, as well as a “very high and constant threat” of kidnapping, noting that propaganda produced by Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has urged the kidnapping of westerners.
