Corporate earnings this week featured a high-stakes lineup of reports from 12 notable companies across the consumer discretionary, consumer staples, information technology, industrials, and financials sectors.
Earnings Roundup:
Bottom Line: All 12 reporting companies beat consensus earnings estimates, with 11 delivering
How the table looks could change drastically by the end of the weekend, with Leeds able to reclaim top spot if they beat York Knights on Sunday, while a third successive Trinity loss has them in danger of dropping to fifth on Saturday if defending champions Hull KR beat Toulouse Olympique.
Both sides had early chances to take the lead, but French was the reason that neither of them managed to open the scoring in the first 10 minutes.
First the Australian wasted a golden opportunity to send Zach Eckersley over with a forward pass, but within two minutes he came up with a stunning try-saving intervention at the other end by holding Max Jowitt up over the line before the full-back was controversially judged to lose the ball in his attempt to touchdown.
Eventually, it was French himself who broke the deadlock, pouncing on a stray Wakefield pass inside his own half before sprinting 65 metres untouched to go in near to the posts.
Two tries in five minutes from Marshall out wide put Warriors in a commanding position before the half-hour mark.
Wakefield head coach Daryl Powell called on Emre Guler for the first time soon after that, with the prop coming off the bench just two days after his move from NRL side St George Illawarra Dragons was brought forward by Trinity.
It was only five days ago that Guler, who had been due to make his Super League move next season, had started for the Dragons in their win against Wests Tigers.
Wakefield threatened to respond a number of times before Hall plucked a searching high ball from Jake Trueman from the sky to dot down for the visitors in the 53rd minute.
Hall very nearly linked up with Jowitt for another Wakefield four-pointer soon after, but the centre was forced into touch by Eckersley as he dished the ball off for the finish.
The game’s definitive moment came in the 65th minute when Field swooped on a knock-on from Mike McMeeken, who was within barging distance of the tryline, allowing the full-back to race away in the other direction to score his 15th Super League try of the season.
The Ben Stokes show rolled into Derby on a pulsating second day of the County Championship match between Derbyshire and Durham at the OurCoop County Ground.
The former England captain delivered another top all-round performance, scoring 53 with 11 fours and then taking a wicket with his first ball.
He had figures of 2-14 but then pulled up at the start of his fifth over and had to leave the field although he was back on before the close.
Ben Aitchison starred for the hosts, taking 5-70 to bowl the Division Two leaders out for 283 which included half-centuries from Alex Lees and Graham Clark.
That looked an even better score when Derbyshire collapsed to 127-6, 156 behind, with Matthew Potts and Will Rhodes both taking two wickets.
The prospect of seeing Stokes bat put a few on the gate and it was not long before he was striding to the middle.
Aitchison was getting the ball to nip around and he moved one in to trap David Bedingham lbw in the third over of a sunny morning.
Stokes edged his second ball just short of the slips but a lofted drive off Brett Randell suggested he was in the mood to repeat his hundred on this ground in the One-Day Cup last month.
Aitchison had Lees dropped on 58 by Brooke Guest diving across first slip, and he beat Stokes, who responded by glancing the next ball to the fine leg boundary.
Stokes moved into Bazball mode when he dropped to one knee to drive Nick Potts gloriously through the covers before a dismissive pull brought him another boundary.
It was, however, far from a smooth ride, with a clip off Anuj Dal just evading mid-wicket before an edge through the slips took him to a 56-ball fifty, before Dal pouched a leading edge in his follow-through to reduce Durham to 182-5.
Clark mirrored Stokes, hitting two sixes in a 57-ball half-century and with Ollie Robinson, took Durham to 260 before the second new ball gave the game another twist.
Aitchison got the rewards he deserved when he had Clark caught at second slip to end a stand of 78 from 129 balls and then beat Robinson’s drive.
Both Brydon Carse and Potts went cheaply, the latter bowled by a beauty from Aitchison who became the first Derbyshire bowler for 61 years to take five wickets in an innings in four consecutive first-class matches.
Durham had lost their last five wickets for 23 and Derbyshire’s openers soon discovered there was plenty there for the pace bowlers.
Harry Came and Caleb Jewell were beaten numerous times by Potts and Carse but clung on until Stokes inevitably broke through.
His first ball drew Came into a defensive push which flew to third slip and in his fourth over he swung one in to beat Jewell’s drive as he went for 28.
There was concern when Stokes went off feeling his lower left side but was back on after Rhodes removed Wayne Madsen.
Rhodes then tempted Matthew Montgomery (28) into a drive before Potts struck twice late on, removing Martin Andersson for 21 and Guest for one as Durham again demonstrated their promotion ambitions.
Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.
FRANCE has long been the world’s most visited country, but Spain is rapidly closing in.
Spain is projected to welcome 110million annual visitors by 2040.
Spain is set to have 110million annual visitors by 2040Credit: Getty
A joint study between Deloitte and Google revealed France‘s predicted figure is slightly lower, at 105million annual visitors by 2040.
With Spain becoming more popular, knowing the lesser-visited spots and hidden gems is a must – so here’s our top recommendations when visiting the country:
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Barcelona
In Barcelona, you can see famous work by the artist Antoni GaudiCredit: The Sun
Hitting headlines for being overwhelmed with tourists, Barcelona gets a bad rep.
The city is popular, there is no doubt about it, but it is for good reason – but the good news is that you can be clever about when you go.
Travel outside of the peak season and the city will seem as busy as any other city.
Head to Las Ramblas first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds, and you’ll also get to see the magic of the street performers setting up.
While others are heading to the Sagrada Familia (which is stunning and a must visit, but do expect it to be busy) head around 30 minutes on the bus from the city centre, where you will find Parc Guell.
Also designed by Antoni Gaudi, the sprawling park features fairytale-like houses covered in mosaics, a grand hall with hundreds of pillars, and breathtaking views of the city.
For somewhere with a cheap drink, head to Nevermind Bar just off Las Ramblas.
This grunge dive bar is insanely cool with a skateboarding half- pipe inside and has €1 (86p) beers from 5pm to around 10pm. Cyann Fielding, Travel Reporter.
Ibiza
Ibiza isn’t all about partying, there is also a hidden gem on the other side of the islandCredit: The Sun
While partygoers flock to the southern coastlines of Ibiza where mega- clubs boom until the early hours and lively bars spill onto the sands, the north remains untouched and void of tourists.
That’s what makes it so special.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for cocktails on a cabana at a bohemian beach resort, but I like to blend it with unadulterated relaxation – and that’s what this island does best.
Head north and you’ll find ultra exclusive hotels like the Six Senses and Hacienda Na Xamena.
But don’t stay there; instead, book a more-affordable boutique hotel near the charming cobbled streets of the Old Town and explore the other side of Ibiza by boat.
Trips can be booked from the Old Town harbour, Playa d’En Bossa or San Antonio (with companies like samboat.co.uk and leboat.com).
You’ll get to sail past quiet, rugged coves with the brightest of blue waters – on one visit, my friend and I had an entire patch of sand to ourselves, that is until a couple of locals pottered over to play a mid- afternoon game of chess, perched on the rocks.
The petite village of Sant Joan de Labritja hosts a hippy market every Sunday, selling gorgeous handmade jewellery, clothing and dream catchers. Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
Tenerife
Tenerife is home to a number of hidden beachesCredit: Getty
Tenerife might be one of the most popular Spanish islands to visit, but there is a hidden beach that you have to know about to find.
Tucked behind the towering pink Moorish resort Ritz-Carlton is Cueva de la Abama.
Private beaches are banned in Spain, but what makes this so hidden is that it is tucked down a winding road that weaves behind the resort.
The golden sands are overlooked by palm trees and a banana plantation, with a beach bar to keep you well hydrated all day.
If you want to arrive in style, stay at the resort – it offers a quaint green land train down to the beach that is exclusive to guests, as well as a funicular.
(It’s also one of the best hotels on the island, making it perfect for a treat-yourself holiday). Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Seville
In the Seville you can grab 86p beersCredit: Alamy
Seville has been named everything from the happiest Spanish city to one of the best places to visit in the world – but it is also insanely affordable if you know where to look.
There’s Taberna Perejil, where you can find wine for €1.20 (£1) or Spanish cheap chain 100 Montaditos, which is scattered throughout the city with small beers from €1 (86p).
You can even visit some of the top attractions for free, if you’re quick.
The Royal Alcázar of Seville has free tickets on Mondays between 4pm and 7pm (although they go fast) while Seville Cathedral has free Sunday visits between 2:30pm and 6pm. Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Majorca
In Majorca you can head luxury shopping or visit a historic ice cream parlourCredit: The Sun
It’s got everything you want from an island, beautiful beaches, a pretty Old Town and plenty of activities to do.
The capital, Palma, is the perfect blend of city and beach with a busy Old Town full of winding streets with classic high street names and plenty of designer shops found on the ‘Golden Mile’.
It’s lined with brands like Louis Vuitton, Bvlgari and Hugo Boss but there are also little trinket shops selling shell-adorned jewellery and souvenirs too.
Majorca is hot in the summer, it’s why so many of us Brits flock there, and when it’s time to cool off with an ice cream, Giovanni L. Gelato Deluxe is the place to go.
It’s Palma’s oldest ice cream parlour with around 80 flavours to choose from.
Although I would recommend pistachio, which has twice been awarded the title for the “World’s Best Pistachio Ice Cream”.
One of my favourite spots that was actually very quiet was Levita Café.
It’s a 30-minute drive from the capital, but a two-minute walk from my hotel.
I stopped by for a refreshing rosé sangria which set me back €6.50 (£5). Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter
Valencia
Valencia is home to a natural park with lagoons and rice paddiesCredit: The Sun
The sun-soaked city of Valencia is a tourist magnet with its stunning Old Town, gorgeous parks and attractions and vast swathe of golden sands.
But many visitors can miss out on one of the hidden, natural wonders of the region and the place where Valencia’s most famous culinary treat is grown.
The Albufera Natural Park is home to lagoons and rice paddies where the main ingredient for paella is grown and taking a boat trip along the lagoon in a traditional boat – called an albuferenc – offers a very different view of this buzzing coastal city.
Drifting peacefully along rivers fringed with reeds and bursting with varied bird life is a real treat – and at the end of the journey, you get to sample a traditional paella at a local restaurant like Nou Raco with its elevated terrace offering views across the lagoon.Lisa Minot, Head of Travel
Cadiz
In Cadiz, you can explore the old town with bustling plazasCredit: The Sun
If you’re tired of overcrowded tourist traps and want a slice of authentic Andalusian culture, check out Cadiz.
Sunny Cadiz in the south of Spain is where the locals like to holiday – where Vespas hum through sun-bleached alleys which spill out into busy market squares.
Cadiz’s old town is anchored by these bustling plazas, where you can pick up everything from nourishing acai bowls to tasty cones of jamon Iberico.
Plaza de la Catedral is overlooked by the massive 18th-century Catedral de Santa Cruz and its gold-tiled dome – this spot is the centrepiece of the Old Town.
In the evenings, a traditional merry-go-round and street musicians liven up the square, making it the perfect spot to sit with a local sherry and watch the world go by.
The cathedral itself is well worth a visit, with a £7 ticket granting you access inside, as well as the top of the tower, the crypts and exhibitions.
There are plenty of gorgeous beaches here, too.
Playa la Caleta is a small stretch of sand that sits between two castles (and makes an appearance in Bond filmDie Another Day) whilst Playa Victoria has white sand and a lengthy promenade. Jenna Stevens, Travel Reporter.
Alcudia
Alcudia has lots of affordable hotels lining the seafrontCredit: The Sun
For beaches with powder-soft sands and waters so calm they feel like a giant paddling pool, take a trip to Alcudia in Majorca.
Growing up, we returned here year after year on family holidays – and now I understand why my parents picked this spot.
Alcudia is the ultimate Majorcan destination for families, with plenty of affordable hotels lining its beachfront with attractions like HidroPark Alcudia nearby (the only waterpark in the north of Majorca).
For history buffs, the Old Town is home to Roman ruins including an amphitheatre, plus you can walk along the top of the ring-shaped medieval fortification walls.
There’s some seriously affordable stays here, too.
We loved staying at TUI‘s Hotel BQ Delfin Azul, which offers week-long package holidays for under £500pp. Jenna Stevens, Travel Reporter
Teguise, Lanzarote
In Teguise, Lanzarote, you can explore a huge market with more than 400 stallsCredit: The Sun
While millions flock to Lanzarote’s stunning beaches and coastline every year, there’s delights to discover in the historic inland capital, Teguise.
Every Sunday morning, the cobblestone streets with their Lanzarote signature whitewashed low-rise houses are filled with more than 400 stalls for the island’s largest open-air market.
Running from 9am to 2pm, there’s a host of treasures to admire and buy including artisanal volcanic rock jewellery, handmade ceramics and 100 per cent organic cotton clothing.
Foodies can get their fill with artisan goat cheeses, cactus jams, and local Mojo sauces – get there early for the best pick of the local produce and fewer crowds and don’t just focus on the stalls.
Teguise’s own boutiques, art galleries, and courtyards inside historic 15th- century buildings open up on market day and often hold some hidden gems.
With traditional Canarian folk dancers and musicians often performing in front of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Guadalupe, savvy travellers grab local wine and tapas as the stalls are being taken down at spots like Palacio Ico or El Patio Creperie. Lisa Minot, Head of Travel
Helping to choose that perfect family-friendly getaway this summer, an easyJet pilot has named a lesser-known holiday destination that has plenty to do for kids
This UK city has been hailed as the best lesser-known family holiday destination(Image: Getty Images)
An easyJet pilot has revealed the lesser-known holiday destination that is best for kids this summer – and it’s in the UK!
During the summer holidays, millions of Brits are jetting off abroad to European hotspots, whether that’s to soak up the sun-soaked rays in the Canary Islands or to enjoy an affordable escape in Turkey at one of their many child-friendly resorts. Yet there’s one UK destination that has been hailed as a great option for families this summer.
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, easyJet Captain Matt Clutterbuck revealed: “A lesser-known family holiday destination is Belfast. There is so much for kids to do, and of all the places we have travelled in the world, that holiday sits near the top of the list of their favourite holidays.”
He shared: “From the W5 science museum and the Titanic Experience to the Giant’s Causeway. The city has plenty for adults too, with live music, great food and friendly people.
“We travelled with easyJet holidays and stayed in Wilton House, which was the perfect accommodation for a family. We hired a car rather than a transfer, which meant we could venture out and explore the countryside.”
Belfast can be conveniently reached in just over an hour’s plane journey from London airports, with flights starting from just £15 one-way, according to Skyscanner. The capital of Northern Ireland hosts the renowned indoor St. George’s Market, packed with culinary delights, crafts and music, and also offers a step back in time along its cobbled lanes in the Cathedral Quarter.
For those still eager to jet off abroad, Matt disclosed: “I think our favourite family holiday destination is Turkey. With amazing food, culture and people, we have always had a brilliant time there. It is a very family-oriented culture, and they always make a fuss of the children.”
Last month, the airline and package holiday provider teamed up with Life360, the family connection and safety app, to offer easyJet customers complimentary Teddy Trackers when heading on holiday. The scheme is designed to help families keep tabs on their children’s favourite toys via the Life360 app throughout their trip, as 87% of parents admitted they worry about their child losing a beloved toy while travelling, while 49% revealed they had already been through the heartbreaking experience.
On the Teddy Trackers initiative, Matt shared: “I think this campaign will not only help children, but parents too. One of the biggest stresses on our holidays was making sure both kids had their cuddly toys with them. It seemed we were constantly doing a teddy roll call to make sure they hadn’t been left in a shop, on a bench or in a restaurant, and we weren’t alone because nearly 4 in 5 parents say their child’s favourite toy travels with them on most, if not every, family holiday.
“Hundreds of thousands of cuddly toys will travel on holidays this summer, so parents will have that extra peace of mind knowing that their child’s cuddly toy can be tracked, putting an end to the heartbreak of losing them. Hopefully, the Teddy Trackers offer parents extra peace of mind, helping ensure these special companions always find their way home and offer comfort to children knowing their beloved companion will be easily traceable if lost.
“The trackers are now available for free at London Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh and Belfast International.”
Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
Dr. Heidi Overton, a top White House aide, has been picked to lead the Food and Drug Administration, President Trump announced Wednesday.
As a medical doctor and deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council who has worked on several of Trump’s second-term health initiatives, Overton has become a trusted figure in the administration and a champion of the president’s goals.
Yet any new FDA commissioner will have to balance a raft of competing priorities, between Trump’s fixations, the anti-regulatory interests of traditional Republicans and the anti-corporate posture of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Those challenges dogged the tenure of the previous FDA head, Dr. Marty Makary, who resigned in May, leaving behind unfinished projects including work on ultraprocessed foods, antidepressants and COVID-19 shots.
Referring to a “Dr. Heidi” in a Truth Social post, Trump called Overton a smart and respected “rockstar” who would deliver on his priorities of faster cures, innovation, lower drug prices and more wins for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement.
The high school football season begins this weekend with Week 0 games. Let’s examine storylines and questions to be answered:
Will a lineman be the player of the year?
The last time a lineman was The Times’ player of the year was St. John Bosco offensive tackle Wyatt Davis in 2016. The Braves now have Elisha Mueller, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound junior transfer from Servite, as one of their blockers, so don’t be surprised if he emerges as an MVP candidate on a team that can go unbeaten. Sierra Canyon defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou is also an MVP-like lineman.
Can any City Section team beat defending champion Carson?
Call it unlikely. The Colts return versatile quarterback Chris Fields III, who does magical things when you least expect it. There’s linemen to protect him and a nonleague schedule that should have the Colts prepared to run over Marine League teams.
Can Santa Margarita show its 2025 championship in the first year of Carson Palmer as coach was no fluke?
The Eagles don’t have the defensive front from last season that was so dominating and gone to USC is Mr. Big Play, Trent Mosley. Expect the Eagles to put up a good challenge to St. John Bosco in the Trinity League. There’s speed and talent and Steven Fifita is about as good a defensive coordinator as there is. Wait for the young players, led by freshman linebacker Aydan Steen, to come on strong late in season.
Former Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer raises the 2025 Southern Section Division 1 championship plaque in his first year as head coach at Santa Margarita.
(Craig Weston)
Is Long Beach Poly ready for a resurgence?
First-year coach Travon Patterson made one of the best hires for his offensive coordinator, former Cathedral and Warren coach Kevin Pearson. He has two cornerbacks second to none in JuJu Johnson and Donte Wright. The key to the Jackrabbits returning to the top in the Moore League will be whether they can develop their offensive line to be effective.
Who will be the most successful first-year coach?
This is going to be debated all season because so many well-known football programs changed coaches. Servite’s Rick Garretson, Orange Lutheran’s Ray Fenton and JSerra’s Hardy Nickerson have high expectations from their rabid fan base. St. Bernard’s Dean Herrington takes on a rebuilding job. Bishop Alemany’s Dennis Keyes takes over a program that hit rock bottom. Jeff Bailey left Yorba Linda for Beverly Hills, which can go nowhere but up. You’ve heard of Storm Watch. This season will be called Rookie Coach Watch.
How many teams will make the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs?
Don’t look for more than eight. The Southern Section wants competitive equity, and the leading candidates at the end of the season can already be predicted: St. John Bosco, Santa Margarita, Orange Lutheran, Mater Dei, Servite, Corona Centennial, Sierra Canyon and Mission Viejo. Remember last season, with the help of rain, the No. 8 seed, Orange Lutheran, stunned the No. 1 seed, St. John Bosco.
Quarterback Chris Fields III of Carson is a dual threat quarterback who led the Colts to the City Section Open Division title last season.
(Craig Weston)
Does the City Section still have talent?
Absolutely. The recruiters have already discovered defensive end Elyjah Staples from Marquez, linebacker De’Andre Kirkpatrick from Crenshaw, Fieldsand his heavily recruited Carson teammate and defensive back Bennie Saulter. There are others waiting for their chance. Beware of receiver Paul Turner of Birmingham.
Will there be another eligibility scandal?
Count on it if athletic directors and principals don’t take their jobs seriously to give scrutiny to transfer paperwork and make home visits. There were rumors throughout the summer of 2025 about Bishop Montgomery turning the other cheek, and sure enough, they were correct. The school ended up canceling its season after too many players were declared ineligible.
What are the great games to mark on your calendar?
On Thursday, it’s Corona Centennial vs. Servite at Orange Coast College. On Friday, it’s St. John Bosco at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.
Aug. 28: Inglewood at Westlake, Santa Margarita at Corona Centennial. Sept. 4: Murrieta Valley at Cajon, San Clemente at Chaparral. Sept. 10: Corona del Mar at Newport Harbor. Sept. 11: Corona Centennial vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium, Cathedral at King/Drew. Sept. 18: Orange Lutheran at Sierra Canyon. Sept. 25: Oxnard Pacifica at Sierra Canyon, Servite at Damien.
Coach Jason Negro and St. John Bosco open the season as the No. 1 team in California.
(Craig Weston)
Oct. 1: Murrieta Valley at Chaparral. Oct. 2: San Pedro at Banning, Crean Lutheran at Tustin, Bishop Amat at Gardena Serra. Oct. 9: Sierra Canyon at Gardena Serra, Orange Lutheran at St. John Bosco. Oct. 15: Norco at Corona Centennial. Oct. 16: King/Drew at Crenshaw, Mission Viejo at San Clemente, Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco.
Oct. 23: San Pedro at Carson, Corona Centennial at Chaparral, St. Bonaventure at Oxnard Pacifica, Long Beach Poly at Long Beach Millikan. Oct. 29: Garfield vs. Roosevelt at East L.A. College, Edison at San Clemente, Valencia vs. Hart at College of the Canyons, St. John Bosco vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium.
Which coaches might be under the microscope?
First-year coaches at private schools will start feeling pressure if their players don’t deliver results. There’s little patience these days from boosters, parents and fans. Watch the Corona Centennial staff, because someone there is going to one day succeed future Hall of Famer Matt Logan.
What will be the new trend in 2026?
Watching to see how well PlayOn Sports handles its control of high school sports in California. It owns MaxPreps, the NFHS Network, GoFan.co and just won state playoff TV rights from the CIF, replacing Spectrum, who’s 15-year contract ended in June. People are waiting to see if prices increase or quality decreases. And who will hold them accountable? They are the definition of monopoly for high school sports. Competition always brings out the best in businesses, so the lack of that has to be something to monitor.
What are five predictions that will come true?
St. John Bosco will win the Division 1 title (barring rain). Carson will win the City Section Open Division title (barring injury to Fields). Jack Hurst of Laguna Beach will lead Southern California with the most touchdown passes (barring his receivers doing too much surfing). Corona Centennial will exceed 70 points in a single game (barring a running clock in the first half). Lots of teams will forfeit games because of an ineligible player (barring athletic directors being skeptical of every transfer).
New Delhi, India – In a crowded ward of New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), India’s premier public hospital, a mother sits quietly beside her 29-year-old son, Piyush Singh*.
Diagnosed with stomach cancer a year ago, Singh has already undergone five rounds of chemotherapy. He now lies in the hospital’s palliative care unit, where the goal is no longer to cure the disease but to relieve pain and preserve his dignity.
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“The world comes to AIIMS when they are not well. But where shall we go?” asks his mother. “My son has already received five doses of chemotherapy, but his condition has not improved. The doctors are not telling us anything. I don’t know what to do next.”
Piyush’s family is not asking for his life to end. They simply don’t know what comes when treatment fails.
A few floors away, Aryan* has come to AIIMS from Auraiya, a small town in Uttar Pradesh state, to accompany his 40-year-old brother Amit (name changed), who has been battling mouth cancer for four years. Two surgeries, radiation and two rounds of chemotherapy later, doctors say there is little hope of him surviving. The final checkup has been done. There is nothing more left to try.
“There is no duvidha [dilemma in Hindi],” says Aryan. “The doctors have said no. So it is clear now.”
He plans to take Amit to his rented flat in Gurgaon and give him whatever painkillers he has been prescribed. Beyond that, he has no plan, because no one has given him one.
“I don’t know about palliative care. I don’t know how to ease his pain. I have nothing apart from the medicines I got today,” he said.
Piyush and Amit are no exceptions. They represent a reality that many Indians are coming to terms with – with little institutional help.
People and patients inside the AIIMS complex in New Delhi, India [Vishakha Singhal/Al Jazeera]
India recorded an estimated 1.56 million new cancer cases in 2024, according to an Indian Council of Medical Research study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.But cancer patients are not alone. Families of patients with traumatic brain injuries and degenerative neurological conditions also hit the same wall.
According to a 2025 analysis by ecancermedicalscience, an open-access medical journal, an estimated seven to 10 million people require palliative care in India, but only about 4 percent receive it.
Such families find themselves with little or no awareness or preparedness for what comes next. Many have never heard of palliative care, or that the law gives them the right to document their treatment preferences before a crisis arrives.
The problem is also rooted in how many Indians confront death – a phenomenon that is one of the least-discussed subjects within families or societies. In many households, conversations about dying are considered inauspicious.
In such a worldview, to think of interventions in how or when someone dies carries a moral weight that goes beyond medicine or law. Families often avoid discussing medical wishes until a loved one is critically ill, leaving relatives to make deeply personal decisions during moments of grief and uncertainty.
From caregiving to court
The answers are increasingly being shaped not just by medicine, but also by the law.
In 2018, India’s Supreme Court recognised that the “right to die with dignity” was part of the fundamental right to life, enshrined in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
The court also allowed such patients to record their wishes about life-sustaining treatment if they lose the capacity to decide in an advanced stage of their ailment.
The top court’s ruling was in response to a petition filed by Common Cause, an NGO, which called for legal procedures allowing terminally ill individuals to execute Advance Medical Directives, commonly known as “living wills”, to refuse life-prolonging medical treatment.
A living will is a legal document that highlights an individual’s preferences for medical treatment when they cannot voice their choices. The provision allows them to nominate a loved one to decide for them.
“It [judgement] broadens the scope of Article 21. It now affirms, kind of completely, that the right to life includes the right to die with dignity. That is the bottom line for us,” Vipul Mudgal, director of Common Cause, the organisation behind the 2005 petition, told Al Jazeera.
Yet, for most Indians, that right largely existed on paper – until six years later.
In 2024, a family in Ghaziabad, an industrial district on the outskirts of New Delhi, filed a petition in the Delhi High Court and later in the Supreme Court, asking for a decision on the fate of a 32-year-old patient who was in a vegetative state for nearly 13 years.
Harish Rana’s case was a first in India where passive euthanasia, or withdrawal of life support, was permitted by the top court. On March 11, the Supreme Court directed the withdrawal of his life support at AIIMS, New Delhi. He passed away two weeks later.
But the journey from caregiving to courtroom was not easy.
Rana’s family managed his feeding tube, tracheostomy and urine bag every day for 13 years, and it had drained them.
“A family reaches such a decision when it sees no scope for improvement. Harish Rana could not speak, we were his voice,” Rana’s father Ashok told Al Jazeera. “He was not in that state for 13 days or 13 months, but for 13 years.”
All those years, said Ashok, he watched his son breathe but not recover, with only one question on his mind: “I am around 63 years old, and my wife is 58 years old. If something happens to either of us, who would take care of him?”
That is when they decided to approach the court.
While the Rana case is a landmark, experts say it is unlikely to set an immediate precedent in a country where death is an uncomfortable topic. That is why, despite being legalised in 2018, living wills remain uncommon and largely unheard of.
As a result, terminally ill patients do not discuss their wishes while they still can, and families end up making decisions for them without preparation or guidance.
A 2019 survey across seven cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, by Healthcare at Home (HCAH), a health advocacy group, found that 73 percent of urban Indians were unaware of their right to a living will. Even among people aware of their right, only 6 percent had actually drafted such a will.
“The Harish Rana case was made more complex because there was no living will,” said Manish Jain, the lawyer who represented the family in court. “Living will clinics are absent across India.”
There are only two such clinics in India. The first opened in Mumbai last year, followed by one in New Delhi – both operated by private hospitals, which are beyond the reach of most Indians.
People at a bus stop next to AIIMS, New Delhi, India [Vishakha Singhal/Al Jazeera]
Fears of misuse of living wills
Concerned over a likely misuse of living wills, the Supreme Court made its guidelines complex. However, in the process, the court ended up making it difficult to navigate for most people.
To make a living will legally valid, an individual would sign it before two witnesses and get it countersigned by a magistrate. If the patient later became terminally ill, the treating doctor would be required to form a board of specialists with at least 20 years of experience each, whose findings then had to go to a district magistrate, who would form a second medical board. Only after both boards agreed could the process move forward, and any disagreement meant the matter went to the regional High Court.
In 2019, the Indian Society for Critical Care Medicine, a nonprofit group of physicians, approached the Supreme Court, arguing its guidelines were unworkable. In 2023, a five-judge top court bench simplified the process, removing the requirement of a magistrate’s countersignature, reducing the minimum medical experience requirement for review boards from 20 years to five, and allowing multiple nominees instead of one.
“Decisions are being made every day, sometimes by the family members, sometimes by the doctors, sometimes because of paucity of money,” said Mudgal.
He said if the families, doctors and courts can make end-of-life decisions for an individual, why cannot the individuals make those decisions for themselves? This recognition, while respecting individual autonomy, also relieves family members from the guilt of deciding for their loved one, he added.
“If there is no meaning left in life, somebody is kept alive artificially, just beating the heart with some mechanical device, that life has no meaning,” he said.
Yet, such questions remain unanswered by law. Living wills and the right to die exist entirely through judicial interpretation. There is no parliamentary law governing the same.
“There is no framework [of parliamentary law] passed by the parliament,” Jain said. “The Supreme Court of India itself requested the government to pass legislation regarding this issue,” he added, first in 2018 and again in 2023.
But lack of a law is only one part of the challenge.
For families, the absence of palliative care means little or no guidance on what comes after treatment options run out. Even families like Piyush’s, who have access to palliative care, don’t know what comes next.
“There are many patients like this who don’t have legal awareness of passive euthanasia. Not only patients, but their doctors also do not have full awareness about palliative care,” Dr Saipriya Tewari, principal consultant and unit head of pain management and palliative care at Max Super Speciality Hospital in New Delhi, told Al Jazeera.
She said families often look confused when told there is no treatment left, and that they should take the patient home.
“What will they do after taking the patient home? Nobody tells them. It is only discussed if the palliative care doctor is involved in the treatment,” Tewari said. “And even if the end is coming, then how do we maintain dignity in time? That is the question.”
Piyush’s mother has a different question.
“If he is sick, then we have to get treatment. We have to do something to keep him alive. What should we do? We are not able to think of a way out of this. Nobody is giving us any suggestions about where to go.”
*Names changed to protect the identity of the patients and their families.
ZZ Top legend Frank Beard has died at 77, the band confirmed on Tuesday.
The drummer had been forced to pull out of the band’s tour earlier this month due to health issues.
Frank Beard, a member of the band ZZ Top, has died at the age of 77Beard has been part of ZZ Top for more than five decades and played on all 15 of the band’s studio albumsCredit: Getty
“Today, Elwood and I lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas,” said ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons.
“His signature backbeat was key to keeping ZZ on top.”
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A representative for the Texas-formed band confirmed to USA Today that Frank died on Monday while in hospice.
The drummer was “with family members at his side” at his ranch in Richmond.
Frank dropped out of The Big One! Tour in early August due to health issues and had previously dropped out from touring with the band in March as he was undergoing a “health procedure.”
The band announced that their upcoming shows in Colorado Springs and Salt Lake City would be canceled.
The Texas rockers found major success in the 1970s before exploding into the MTV era with their 1983 album EliminatorCredit: GettyBeard joined Billy Gibbons in 1969 and helped create the group’s classic lineup by introducing the guitarist to his former American Blues bandmate Dusty HillCredit: Getty
However, the band plans to resume its current tour The Big One! this weekend, with the two shows at Austin City Limits music festival held at The Moody Theater.
The band, which formed in 1969, said the venue was “one of Frank’s favorite venues and in a city that had been something of a second home for him.”
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Beard was born on June 11, 1949, in Frankston, Texas, and began playing in bands while still in high school.
He later became part of the Dallas music scene, where he met Dusty Hill, and the pair performed together in several 1960s groups including the Warlocks and American Blues.
Beard, Gibbons and Hill remained together for more than 50 years until Hill’s death in July 2021 at the age of 72Credit: GettyBeard was famously the only member of the classic ZZ Top lineup who did not sport the huge beard that became part of the band’s signature lookCredit: Getty
In one of the stranger chapters of their early careers, Beard and Hill also played in a fake version of British rock band The Zombies that toured the US after the original group had broken up, Rolling Stone reported.
Beard has been part of ZZ Top for more than five decades and played on all 15 of the band’s studio albums.
He joined Billy Gibbons in 1969 and helped create the group’s classic lineup by introducing the guitarist to his former American Blues bandmate Dusty Hill.
The trio went on to become one of rock’s most recognizable acts, with Beard providing the beat behind hits including “La Grange,” “Tush,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” and “Legs.”
Beard, Gibbons and Hill remained together for more than 50 years until Hill’s death in July 2021 at the age of 72.
At the time, Gibbons and Beard announced that their longtime bandmate had died in his sleep at his Houston home.
“We are saddened by the news today that our Compadre, Dusty Hill, has passed away in his sleep at home in Houston, TX,” they said.
They added, “You will be missed greatly, amigo.”
Hill’s longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis then took over bass duties and continued touring alongside Gibbons and Beard.
Bassist Dusty Hill, drummer Frank “Rube” Beard and guitarist Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top perform at Soldiers And Sailors Memorial Auditorium on October 23, 1973 in Chattanooga, TennesseeCredit: GettyGuitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank “Rube” Beard of ZZ Top perform at Boutwell Auditorium on September 28, 1973 in Birmingham, AlabamaCredit: Getty
The Texas rockers found major success in the 1970s before exploding into the MTV era with their 1983 album Eliminator, which included “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” and “Gimme All Your Lovin’.”
Beard was famously the only member of the classic ZZ Top lineup who did not sport the huge beard that became part of the band’s signature look.
ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 after decades of success.
Beard had suffered previous health setbacks over the years, including pneumonia in 2019 and another unspecified health issue that forced him off the road in 2025.
His latest absence came after ZZ Top abruptly canceled its August 5 Hollywood Bowl show because of what the band called “unforeseen personnel matters.”
Michael Monahan was brought in to play drums while Beard stepped away, with Gibbons and Francis continuing the tour.
The cause of Beard’s death has not been publicly disclosed.
ZZ Top is mourning the loss of longtime drummer Frank Beard, who has died at age 77 after years of facing health-related issues.
The band announced Beard’s death on Tuesday via Instagram, with founding member and frontman Billy Gibbons writing in a statement that he and fellow member Elwood Francis “lost a great friend and collaborator, and the world lost one of the most naturally innovative drummers and a great and true son of Texas.”
The Fort Bend County Medical Examiner confirmed to The Times that Beard’s death was reported Monday. A cause of death was not revealed. He died at his ranch in Texas with family by his side after a stay in hospice, TMZ reported.
Beard died weeks after ZZ Top called off its Aug. 5 concert at the Hollywood Bowl, reportedly due to his health issues. In March 2025, the Texas trio also shared that Beard would temporarily step away from the band’s Elevation tour to address a separate health issue, later revealed to be foot and ankle problems. The veteran drummer had also missed shows because of an emergency appendectomy in 2002.
ZZ Top said in Tuesday’s announcement that its concerts in Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs have been canceled in the wake of Beard’s death. The band will continue its The Big One! tour this weekend, including two shows at Austin City Limits, which it said had become one of “Frank’s favorite venues in a city that had been something of a second home” for the drummer.
Beard joined ZZ Top in 1969, soon after the band formed, replacing founding drummer Dan Mitchell.
Times staff writer Andrea Flores contributed to this report.
Supreme Court grants jailed ex-PM Imran Khan transfer to hospital for nearly a month after concerns were raised over his blood pressure.
Published On 18 Aug 202618 Aug 2026
Islamabad, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the transfer of Imran Khan, former prime minister and founder of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, from Rawalpindi’s Adiala prison to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital within two days, accepting a demand his party had been making for months.
Uzair Bhandari, one of Khan’s lawyers, told Al Jazeera the three-member bench also ordered a medical board be formed to oversee Khan’s treatment, including the ex-prime minister’s sister, Dr Uzma Khan, and his personal physician, Dr Faisal Sultan.
“The court also directed that Khan’s family be allowed to meet him at the hospital and that he be permitted to speak with his sons, who live abroad,” Bhandari said.
The next hearing has been fixed for September 16, and Khan should remain hospitalised until at least then as per the order, according to the lawyer. This will be the longest period that Khan will be physically outside jail premises since he was imprisoned in August 2023, convicted in several corruption-related cases that he and his party insist are politically motivated.
The order followed a report Adiala jail’s superintendent submitted to the court on Monday, detailing a cardiac board’s August 10 review of Khan, 73, which recorded fluctuating blood pressure and anxiety linked to restricted contact with his family.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the court pressed Pakistan’s advocate general over gaps in the report, saying Khan’s “pulse and heart condition were not normal” and that his vital organs “had started being affected”.
Courts had twice declined similar transfer requests since February, including an Islamabad High Court ruling that ordered a medical board’s assessment instead.
Zulfi Bukhari, a senior PTI leader, told Al Jazeera the ruling reinforced the party’s longstanding position that Khan needed independent, specialised treatment outside Adiala jail.
“Medical care provided within the prison system is no substitute for a thorough evaluation by independent specialists of his choosing,” he said, adding that PTI had consistently called for Khan’s transfer to Shifa International and access to his own doctors.
Government officials have insisted any transfer required judicial authorisation rather than executive discretion.
Rana Sanaullah, adviser to the prime minister, told the Senate on Monday that Khan was receiving “the best available medical treatment” and that his condition did not support PTI’s concerns.
The order lands amid a wider standoff over access to Khan, which PTI has increasingly framed as the precondition for reviving talks with the government. The government, for its part, has renewed efforts to engage in dialogue but to no avail as yet, while PTI leadership has announced a countrywide protest on September 27.
LONDON — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with an impostor posing as President Trump’s chief of staff, according to reports published Monday.
A spokesperson for Burnham declined to comment, saying it was policy not to discuss “national security matters.”
Politico cited four unnamed officials in first reporting that Burnham thought he was messaging with Susie Wiles before he became suspicious and cut off communications.
Last year, the U.S. government investigated a series of messages that elected officials, business executives and other prominent figures in the U.S. received messages from someone posing as Wiles.
Soon after those incidents, the State Department warned U.S. diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using artificial intelligence. The warning followed the discovery that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. senator and a governor.
The FBI had also warned of “malicious actors” misusing AI to impersonate senior U.S. government officials.
Burnham, who became prime minister less than a month ago, has tried to forge good ties with the White House. Trump initially warmed to Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, before souring on him.
NEW YORK — Ohio State and Oregon were 1-2 in The Associated Press Top 25 released Monday, giving the Big Ten Conference the top two teams in the preseason rankings for the first time in 65 years and just the second time ever.
The Buckeyes received 40 first-place votes and Oregon received 14 in voting by 69 media members who cover college football.
Ohio State will go into a season No. 1 for the ninth time, and first since 2015. The Buckeyes are now tied with Alabama for second-most preseason No. 1 rankings behind Oklahoma’s 10.
Oregon has its highest preseason ranking in program history after having opened No. 3 four times.
Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas round out the top five. Defending national champion Indiana starts at No. 6 and is followed by Miami, Texas A&M, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
Notre Dame received six first-place votes, Indiana got eight and Miami one.
This is the first year a conference has held down the top two spots in the preseason poll since Oklahoma and Nebraska of the Big Eight were 1-2 in 1987.
The last time the Big Ten had the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the preseason was 1961, when Iowa and Ohio State topped the poll. The Hawkeyes lost four of their last five games after a 4-0 start and finished that season unranked. The Buckeyes went 8-0-1 and ended the season No. 2 behind unbeaten Alabama.
The Big Ten has won three straight College Football Playoff championships (Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana) and will be going for an unprecedented fourth straight national title. This is the fourth consecutive year the Big Ten has had two of the top three teams in the preseason rankings.
The Southeastern Conference leads all conferences with nine teams in the preseason Top 25, marking the third straight year it has had at least that many. Five of the top 10 teams are from the SEC for the first time since 2013.
Four Big 12 teams are ranked, with conference champion Texas Tech the highest at No. 12. The Atlantic Coast Conference has three ranked teams, with the Hurricanes joined by No. 19 SMU and No. 24 Louisville. There are no Group of Six schools in the Top 25.
Top-ranked Buckeyes
The offense is loaded. Heisman Trophy finalist Julian Sayin was the most accurate passer in the nation by a wide margin last season, Jeremiah Smith leads the nation in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns over the last two years and Bo Jackson is coming off a 1,000-yard rushing season as a freshman.
There is little concern about the defense even though eight starters must be replaced for a second straight year. At least six transfers are projected to start or play major roles.
Ohio State will get tested early and often. The Buckeyes visit Texas on Sept. 12 and five of their nine conference games are against preseason ranked teams, including at Indiana and against Oregon at home.
The Buckeyes have ended a season No. 1 in the AP poll six times (1942, 1954, 1968, 2002, 2014, 2024).
Bulldogs best of the SEC
The beat goes on for Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs. They’re in the preseason top five for the ninth straight year. The two-time defending SEC champion Bulldogs are favored to play in a sixth straight conference title game and appear in the CFP for the sixth time in 10 years.
Texas, the preseason No. 1 last year, opens in the top five for the third straight year. No. 8 Texas A&M is in the preseason top 10 for the first time since it was No. 6 in 2022, the year that marked the beginning of the end for coach Jimbo Fisher.
Pete Golding’s first full season as Mississippi head coach starts with the No. 9 Rebels in the preseason top 10 for the second time in three years and third time since 1970. No. 10 Oklahoma is in the preseason top 10 for the first time since 2022, when it was in the Big 12.
What about the Hoosiers?
Indiana is the seventh returning national champion in 40 years, and second in three years, to be ranked outside the top five in the preseason (Michigan went into the 2024 season ranked No. 9 after winning the national title).
The Hoosiers became the first team in the modern era to go 16-0, and they return lots of talent and signed a top-10 transfer class. The move from Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 NFL draft pick Fernando Mendoza to TCU transfer Josh Hoover at quarterback apparently put doubts in the minds of voters.
Poll nuggets
—USC, which landed the nation’s top recruiting class during the offseason, is ranked No. 15 in the preason poll.
— Ohio State will try to become the 12th team to start and finish No. 1 since the AP preseason poll debuted in 1950. The last team to do it was Alabama in 2017.
— Notre Dame has its highest preseason ranking since it was No. 2 in 2006. The Fighting Irish, who have a Heisman candidate in quarterback CJ Carr, bring a 10-game winning streak into the season and are still smarting from being left out of the playoff.
— Lane Kiffin’s first LSU team is No. 11 after finishing 7-6 and unranked under Brian Kelly and Frank Wilson.
— Ten of the 12 CFP teams last season are ranked. The two that aren’t are James Madison and Tulane from the Group of Six.
— No. 23 Houston has its first preseason ranking in four years and third since 1991.
Iran’s Parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has declared both a military and political victory in the war against the US and Israel. Qalibaf’s remarks came on the day the 60-day so-called MoU US-Iran agreement is set to expire.
The Times’ top 10 high school flag football rankings:
1. JSerra (6-0) Won the Gold Division at the Chargers Invitational. MVP quarterback Kate Meier has accounted for 11 scores in the last three games. Next: Tuesday vs. Woodbridge.
2. Newport Harbor (5-1) The Sailors outscored their first five opponents 97-0 before falling to JSerra 23-6 in the Chargers Invitational championship game. Next: August 24 vs. Woodbridge.
3. Edison (5-1) All five of the Chargers’ wins so far have been shutouts. Their biggest test comes Thursday night in a nonleague game at JSerra. Next: Thursday at JSerra.
4, Orange Lutheran (3-1) Lost to JSerra at the Chargers Invitational but will have two chances to avenge it in Trinity League matchups Sept 22 and Oct. 13. Next: Thursday at La Serna.
5. Beckman (5-0) Won the Division 2 Navy bracket at the Chargers Invitational, beating Mira Costa in the final on Hayden Freedman’s clutch catch. Next: Wednesday vs. San Juan Hills.
6. Westlake (3-2) The Warriors gave JSerra its toughest game at the Chargers Invitational, losing by only 13 points. They also nearly beat Torrey Pines. Next: Tuesday vs. Oak Park.
7. Huntington Beach (3-1) Fast start behind quarterback and captain Roxie Shaia, highlighted by 18-point victory over Torrey Pines at Chargers Invitational. Next: Aug. 24 vs. Los Alamitos.
8. Corona del Mar (4-1) Convincing victories over Ocean View, La Serna and Bishop Amat. Will host a showdown against Huntington Beach on Aug. 26. Next: Tuesday vs. Santa Margarita.
9. Lakewood St. Joseph (3-0) Senior quarterback Lexi Loya has already thrown for 679 yards and 13 touchdowns, including five in a 40-6 victory over Corona. Next: Monday at Cypress.
10. Eagle Rock (0-0) Quarterback Nylah Moore and the Eagles open the season Monday versus Panorama in a rematch of last fall’s City Open semifinals. Next: Monday vs. Panorama.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The head of U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) says having a “credible, acknowledged” means of damaging or even destroying enemy assets in space is vital to deterring opponents and surviving if a major fight in orbit does break out. American officials have already been steadily more open about their desire for new offensive “orbital warfare” capabilities. China’s breakneck expansion of its intelligence-gathering and other capabilities in orbit, as well as its arsenal of anti-satellite weapons, has been a central factor behind this push.
U.S. Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting made an explicit call for new “integrated space fires” capabilities, including both non-kinetic and kinetic options in orbit and/or within the atmosphere, during a talk yesterday at the annual Space & Missile Defense (SMD) Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, at which TWZ is in attendance. SPACECOM is the main joint service command in charge of all U.S. military activities in space.
U.S. Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of US Space Command, seen speaking at the separate 2026 DoDIIS Worldwide Conference on August 10, 2026. DIA
“From the broadest perspective, maybe the most critical characteristic of the responsive and adaptive national security space architecture called for in the President’s Ensuring American Space Superiority executive order is that survivability matters at least as much as performance,” Whiting said. “In space, there is no safe harbor. You can’t dig a trench or build a shield. Our satellites are consistently or predictably in an opponent’s weapons engagement zone. And we can build the most high-performing, exquisite satellites in human history, but if they depend on fragile, targetable supporting infrastructure, their performance will drop to zero on the first day of the next war.”
“Space survivability isn’t just good to have or nice to have. It is need to have. Now let’s get specific. I’ve explained how durable we need our kit to be, but now I want to tell you about our FY29-to-33 [Fiscal Years 2029 to 2033] integrated priorities list,” the SPACECOM boss continued. “We’ve looked at risks and potential gaps and determined these are the top five capabilities we need to meet our Title 10 and Unified Command Plan responsibilities. This isn’t just a wish list. It’s a clear demand signal to several audiences, describing the warfighting capabilities we need to meet our mission.”
“Number one and two are integrated space fires and counter-pLEO that enable us to establish space superiority,” he said. pLEO, also sometimes written P-LEO, stands for proliferated low Earth orbit, and refers to distributed constellations of hundreds or potentially thousands of satellites in that orbital region. The U.S. military itself is investing heavily in this arena to develop and field new space-based capabilities that are more resilient to attack.
DARPA
The other three lines of effort Gen. Whiting outlined during his talk had to do with improved command and control, better situational awareness in space, and increased ability to maneuver assets in orbit.
“We’re a combatant command, and we fight to win wars,” Whiting declared. “To win, we need credible, acknowledged, kinetic, and non-kinetic fires. They are a key component of how we establish space superiority and restore credible deterrence.”
“Our space assets need to shoot, move, and communicate just like the rest of the joint force, so that our space assets can enable the joint force to shoot, move, and communicate,” the head of SPACECOM also said. “In short, space needs to fight like the joint force to empower the joint forces’ ability to fight and undermine our adversaries’ ability to do so.”
Whiting did not elaborate on what these future integrated fires and counter-pLEO capabilities might look like. An accompanying briefing slide did include a graphic depicting a kinetic attack on a satellite originating from within the Earth’s atmosphere utilizing what might be a laser-directed energy weapon.
A close-up look at the “integrated space fires” graphic, at left, and the full briefing slide from Gen. Whiting’s talk, at right. National Defense Industry Association
The threats that directed energy weapons, as well as cyber attacks, pose to friendly satellites, even ones in distributed constellations, had come up at a separate panel discussion at the SMD Symposium on Tuesday.
“If you have 10,000 satellites that are providing you with service, surely you’re not going to try and attack with a direct ascent ASAT [anti-satellite interceptors fired from within the Earth’s atmosphere] 10,000 satellites,” U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Rick Zellmann, Deputy Commander of SPACECOM, said during the panel. “I encourage our adversaries to try and shoot down 10,000 satellites that way. I don’t think they will. And, so, just like we do, our targeting folks will try to find the various nodes where you can get a one-to-many solution.”
“Those, I think, one-to-many solutions for proliferated constellations are twofold. One is cyber,” he continued. “I think the other is directed energy, because that doesn’t cost too much for a shot, right? So those two technologies are the ones I’d be concerned about.”
“Non-kinetic effects of directed energy, mounted on all types of platforms, from the surface all the way to space and everywhere in between,” could also be “opportunities,” Brig. Gen. Drew Morgan, the deputy head of the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), another one of the panelists, also said later on. In a space context, non-kinetic directed energy ‘effect’ could include what is known as ‘dazzling’ using lasers to blind optics on satellites without causing permanent damage. In the past, U.S. officials have said that friendly assets in orbit are routinely subjected to various kinds of non-destructive attacks.
At present, a family of ground-based electronic warfare systems called the Counter Communications System (CCS) is the U.S. military’s only publicly acknowledged offensive counter-space capability. In June, the U.S. Space Force announced it had “operationally accepted” the latest version of the system, called Block 10.3, and also known by the codename Meadowlands.
Trailer-mounted antennas associated with the Counter Communications System (CCS). USSF
There have been hints for years that the U.S. military might have other operational anti-satellite capabilities in the classified realm, or at least have been actively experimenting with them. In 2019, then-Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson notably suggested a public live-fire demonstration of some kind could be necessary to deter potential opponents, such as Russia and China, from attacking American space-based assets.
“Protective measures on satellites is just like thinking about protective measures on aircraft, okay? And we’re working through that,” Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, head of the Space Force’s Combat Forces Command (CFC), told TWZ and others more recently at a roundtable at the Air & Space Forces Association’s (AFA) Warfare Symposium in February. “I won’t provide specifics, because I want those protective measures to work, right? I don’t want to tell Beijing and Moscow what I’ve done.”
“But protecting and defending satellites can’t simply be done by protect and defend. You can’t run away from a bully forever. Sometimes you got to turn around and punch,” Gagnon continued. “So protect and defend, although necessary, is insufficient to deliver space control. We also need, as part of our joint force, the ability to attack.”
The first official painting commissioned by the Space Force, seen here, explicitly depicts a duel between a reusable spaceplane and a hostile ‘killer satellite.’ USSF
At that time, Gagnon also stressed that challenging China’s still-growing array of space-based capabilities was another key driver behind this desire for new offensive counter-space capabilities.
What “[China’s] President Xi [Jinping] has decided to do is build the second-best remote sensing architecture in the world from outer space, and that’s now what they have,” Gagnon also said at that time. “So when 2013 started, and he came to power, he had less than 100 satellites that were the total of what China had in outer space. They have about 1,900 today. Over 500 of those satellites are remote sensing satellites, which are purposely designed and networked to track mobile forces such as U.S. carriers, destroyers, and cruisers in the Pacific, as well as aircraft that deploy around the Pacific. Those have been built with a purpose. The purpose is to cue their long-range fire weapons.”
Gen. Whiting also said during his talk at the SMD Symposium yesterday that China, and its anti-satellite capabilities in particular, remained the greatest challenge facing the U.S. military in the space domain.
“Number one is the development of counter-space weapons that I highlighted in my remarks. These are not future possibilities,” the head of SPACECOM said. “Some of you have played the war games over the years where we have to give the ‘red force’ [the side playing the mock adversary] additional capability, maybe project five years forward and give them what we think they’ll have. And, no, the capabilities we talked about are real, they exist today, and we have to face them.”
“These include direct ascent ASAT missiles, ground-based lasers, jammers, and maneuverable co-orbital ASATs, and dual-use satellites like the SJ-21, which can target the satellites we rely upon for missile warning and defense missions,” the SPACECOM boss had said in his opening remarks. “They are, in no uncertain terms, expanding military options for sustained offensive operations against the satellites we rely on to defend the homeland and project power. These developments intend to degrade our current space superiority, and would potentially give China a maneuver and logistics advantage in space, something we would never accept on the land, at sea, or in the air.”
The SJ-21 satellite mentioned here has been a particularly hot topic of discussion since it was launched in 2021. It has a grappling arm with a demonstrated ability to tow other satellites in space. This is ostensibly intended to be used for non-military applications, such as on-orbit servicing and moving debris, but has obvious potential to be weaponized.
Long March-3B launches Shijian-21
In general, so-called inspector-type satellites capable of rendezvousing and maneuvering closer to other objects in space have an inherent ability to be used to launch attacks, destructive and otherwise, using a variety of different means, as well as gather intelligence. This includes kinetic attacks where the inspector could be used as an interceptor and simply smashed into the target. U.S. military officials have been warning about the dual-use potential of inspector satellites for years now, especially in the context of examples that Russia has put into orbit.
A U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency graphic highlighting some of the ways on-orbit attack can be carried out, including via robotic arms. DIA
This all speaks further to counter-space capabilities U.S. forces could themselves bring to bear in the future. Last month, Northrop Grumman in the United States notably launched the first of what it hopes will be a constellation of new Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) satellites capable of performing on-orbit refueling and other servicing missions for commercial and military customers. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) played key roles in the development of a payload equipped with a pair of robotic arms for the MRV. Questions about whether the MRVs with their arms could also have an offensive counter-space role have already been raised, as you can read more about here.
“Depends on where you sit, right, you know? But to say that it’s the responsibility for the U.S. government to protect its citizens from emerging threats makes perfect sense to me,” outgoing Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said last year. “And we clearly see a country like the PRC [People’s Republic of China] investing heavily in these kinds of threats, whether it’s hypersonic [weapons], whether it’s threats from space. And so now it’s time for the U.S. government to step up to the responsibilities to protect American citizens from those threats.”
Saltzman was speaking at the time in the context of a discussion about Golden Dome’s space-based interceptors during an interview broadcast online as part of Defense One‘s State of Defense 2025: Air Force and Space Force virtual conference.
How much will ultimately be acknowledged about the U.S. military’s future planned “integrated space fires” capabilities, as well as exactly what might be in its anti-satellite arsenal already, remains to be seen. Regardless, Gen. Whiting’s comments this week have now at least made the active pursuit of new counter-space weapons a matter of public record.
Sixth in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Godschoice Eboigbodin, JSerra defensive lineman.
“Bro, we need you.”
That was the heartfelt message from JSerra High football players directed toward Godschoice Eboigbodin as he walked around campus looking like a high school version of Thor with his bulging muscles.
He played basketball for the Lions, but after his sophomore season he decided to try football, since his physical play in basketball led to fouls, something that was legal in football.
“People say I’m aggressive. I fit in with football,” he said.
He has grown to 6 feet 5 and 260 pounds. He still has trouble putting on football pads — “I’m still trying to figure it out” — but as an edge rusher, there’s no telling how far his journey will take him. He committed to UCLA during the summer. He works relentlessly in the weight room gaining strength.
Godschoice Eboigbodin of JSerra makes a shot against Rolling Hills Prep.
(Craig Weston)
“The guy can move,” coach Hardy Nickerson said. “He’s an athlete at defensive end. You see that talent playing on Sundays.”
He could be the next success story from Nigeria, where he was born and lived until coming to the area as a freshman while living with a host family, the Franklins. He is the sixth of seven siblings.
He got his first name from the woman who delivered him as a baby while his mother was in labor. He made his first dunk in his backyard when he was 12. The rim didn’t last long.
He has been a very good basketball player for JSerra. Last season, he had a 46-point performance.
But football is the sport he intends to master. He came in as a blank sheet last season and tries to learn every day. He had 2 1/2 sacks in his first season.
“He’s growing as a football baller,” Nickerson said. “He’s made tremendous strides this offseason. He’s going to get turned loose.”
Imagine being a quarterback and seeing Eboigbodin charging ahead with his size and agility.
“I’ve learned you’re fighting against time,” Eboigbodin said. “You got to go fast and get the quarterback before he passes. You got about three seconds.”
He enjoys the Friday night football atmosphere and is fueled by fans cheering.
“The football stands and fans are a different feeling,” he said.
He’s had so many people helping him and rooting for him during his stay. That’s because of his friendly demeanor. He might look intimidating, but his smile and willingness to participate in school gatherings propels others to immediately embrace him. He’s always looking to learn on and off the field.
“I’m excited to just get better,” he said.
And that’s what is exciting about Eboigbodin. He’s not a finished product, but the signs of progress and what he can do with his body on a football field have everyone predicting big days ahead.
The decisions mark both a victory and a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who had championed both policies.
France’s Constitutional Council has upheld a law passed by parliament to legalise assisted dying in specific circumstances, while striking down a separate bill that sought to ban under-15s from using social media.
The council, France’s highest constitutional authority, issued its rulings on Friday. The decisions mark both a victory and a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who had championed both policies.
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France is set to join several European countries that have already legalised assisted dying, including Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg, among others.
“This decision marks the culmination of a long democratic and parliamentary effort, conducted with listening, respect, and rigour,” Elisabeth Borne, MP and former French prime minister, said in a post on X about the assisted-dying decision.
“I welcome this definitive validation of a text that guarantees everyone the freedom to choose, within a strict and protective framework.”
The council upheld the law in its entirety while clarifying three provisions, including the so-called conscience clause, under which pharmacists may refuse to assist a patient in ending their life.
Private treatment centres can also refuse to participate in the procedure if it goes against their mission, and other centres can serve local needs. Lastly, in the case of protected patients, the opinion of the person responsible for their welfare must be taken into account.
French citizens and legal residents can request medical support in ending their lives under strict conditions. The legislation stipulates that the patient must be “suffering from an incurable, life-threatening illness in an advanced or terminal phase”, and that the illness must cause “constant physical or psychological suffering that is untreatable or unbearable”. Lastly, the patient must exercise free and informed consent.
The French National Assembly passed the bill last month by a majority of 50, with 291 voting in favour and 241 against.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court struck down legislation banning under-15s from social media, citing freedom of expression.
“By prohibiting minors under the age of fifteen from accessing certain online services, the law inherently requires every person, even an adult, to prove their age before accessing them,” the court said in its decision.
“However, by failing to specify the conditions and limits under which such proof must be provided, the legislature has not established the legal safeguards necessary to ensure compliance with these requirements,” it added. The court also said that the law fails to safeguard people’s privacy.
The bill was one of Macron’s flagship policies and was passed by parliament last month.
It stipulated that everyone in France would have to verify their age to access social media sites, and it was supposed to come into effect in January 2027. Macron was eager for the bill to be passed before the presidential election next year.
After Friday’s ruling, Macron asked Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to work on a new “legally robust draft” of the legislation.
Last month, Amnesty International responded to the French parliament’s decision to impose the social media ban on teens, urging lawmakers to focus their efforts on forcing companies to redesign their apps, including what it described as “addictive features”.
“There is no doubt that regulating platforms to protect children is an imperative of our time. We commend states for taking social media harms seriously but rather than pursuing blanket bans, efforts should be on forcing platforms to abandon their reckless pursuit of profit to the detriment of human rights,” Secretary General Agnes Callamard said.
“Building safe platforms requires a robust response. To ensure platforms are spaces where children can access community, connection and knowledge in a healthy and safe way, governments should first focus on banning the features that drive harm, including engagement-based algorithms that Amnesty International’s research has shown can draw children into rabbit holes of depressive and suicidal content.”
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman tracked Royals hitter Isaac Collins’ fly ball through foul territory to just outside the visiting dugout at Dodger Stadium.
He had a plan. With one out in the top of the eighth inning, Freeman was going to lean over the rail to make the catch.
He shuffled, shifted his weight, and the ground disappeared out from under him.
“Obviously there was no rail,” a sore but apparently not seriously injured Freeman said after the Dodgers’ 4-2 win against the Royals.
He pitched sideways, practically clearing the first set of steps and landing on the second flight. Freeman braced himself on his right side, which took the brunt of the impact. But thanks to the angle of the steps, he never hit his head, he said.
“Kneecaps are sore, shoulder is sore, hand is sore, wrist is sore,” Freeman said. “I mean, I fell. But I’m in good spirits. I’ve already cold tubbed. I’ve done everything I needed to do to put myself in a position to be able to hopefully play [Thursday].”
Manager Dave Roberts described Freeman’s status as “day to day” and noted that he’d already planned to give him a day off Friday, the second game of a four-game series against the Brewers. The Dodgers will monitor how Freeman is feeling Thursday morning.
“I think that we really dodged the bullet,” Roberts said. Freeman did not undergo any imaging on his various aches and pains, although he said head athletic trainer Thomas Albert asked if he felt like he needed any.
“I said, ‘Do you want to do a whole-body X-ray?’” Freeman recounted. “And he was like, ‘We can.’ But no, I’m OK.”
Freeman was sore immediately after the fall but finished that half inning in the field. He said after the adrenaline wore off, he motioned to the dugout that he might need a pinch-hitter in the bottom half of the eighth. He was due up first.
Utility player Tommy Edman took the at-bat for him, and Kiké Hernández replaced him at first in the top of the ninth.
It wasn’t the first time Freeman has taken a tumble chasing after a foul ball, but he estimated the last time was about a decade ago, with the Braves in Arizona before they extended the netting.
“Actually went down probably like 10 feet,” Freeman said. “I hit seats and everything. So not my first time.
“This quarter’s performance confirms” an inflection point, with the company “consistently adding retail doors, selling more of our brands through them and seeing strong financial performance as a result” (CEO Samuel Brill).
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