IT has been branded “offensive” and its host was once pelted with rotten fruit, but the Miss World contest will be watched by two billion when the 75th anniversary final takes place this week.

And representing England at the 2026 showpiece in Vietnam will be Grace Richardson, who has already won the contest’s talent round and has sailed through to the final event.

One woman who knows what it takes to triumph at the Miss World is former title holder Ann Sidney, who won the 1964 contest representing the United Kingdom.

Now 82, and one of only five Brits to have held the title, she defends the contest against the usual criticisms that it is sexist and out of date.

Ann, who was a 20-year-old hairdresser from Poole in Dorset before entering the competition, tells The Sun: “Miss World was a soft target for protesters. I think people working in TV are more anti-Miss World than the general public.

“When I won, I was in the swimsuit. Now there is an evening gown.

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“I didn’t think twice about wearing a swimsuit. I never felt embarrassed by being in a swimsuit.”

When Ann was named Miss World in 1964, the show’s British TV audience was an extraordinary 27million, which was around half the population at the time.

It catapulted Ann on to the international stage, and she starred in a movie with Mick Jagger, appeared in TV secret agent series The Avengers, entertained US troops in Vietnam with Bob Hope, auditioned for a James Bond film, had a lead role in The Sound Of Music stage show in the West End and met Elvis Presley in Las Vegas.

Miss World, which began as a bikini contest at the Festival of Britain in 1951, provided a jet-set life of five-star hotels, limousines and having the likes of Frank Sinatra fix Ann a drink.

But holding on to that crown required sacrifices and hard work.

The Miss World organisation signed a lucrative deal with a trade body for the wool industry, which meant Ann would be the Ambassadress for Wool for a year.

Her contract had a “morality clause”, which meant she could not have boyfriends and had to be Miss Perfect in terms of her behaviour.

And that was a strain for Ann, as she was in an on-off relationship with a married Bruce Forsyth.

The presenter, who died in 2017 aged 89, was a household name, compering the Sunday Night At The London Palladium variety show, decades before he became known for hosting Strictly Come Dancing.

Ann says: “The situation with Bruce kind of broke my heart. I couldn’t get any bad publicity, I would lose the contract basically and certainly lose any money. They paid me very well.

“It was a very difficult thing for me because I had this man in the background that was wanting to go out with me and to see me, and I knew I had to focus on what I was doing.

“You have to be that perfect woman. I had to be completely single and above and beyond suspicion. No dating whatsoever.”

And that is tricky when lots of men want to boast they have slept with Miss World. Once a footballer even pretended to be from room service just so he could tell his team-mates he had been in Ann’s bedroom.

When other men were too persistent, Ann put them firmly in their place.

She says: “I’m not knocking men, but you’re always going to be a trophy, something a man can boast about.

“You can’t take it seriously. Back then, if somebody got naughty, you said, ‘Stop it, you dirty old man’, you know, ‘Give me a break’. Usually men will go, ‘I’m sorry’. You dealt with those things yourself. I think today we’ve become very offended.”

There were other potential pitfalls. Playboy tycoon Hugh Hefner offered Ann $10,000 — around £140,000 in today’s money — to pose naked in his magazine.

Even though he plied her with drink, she turned him down, knowing she would be stripped of her Miss World title if she accepted his offer.

Once her year was up, Ann pursued an acting career, going into repertory theatre to learn the trade in the traditional manner.

She recalls having to overcome the widespread idea that beauty contest winners were “bubble-headed”, with people asking questions about her such as, “Can she learn lines?”.

But she went on to secure a broad range of roles, from the cult 1970 crime film Performance, starring Mick Jagger, to the cosy Seventies sitcom Are You Being Served?.

Since the death in 2019 of her fifth husband, theatre producer Duncan Weldon, she has continued living and working in California.

For other queens over the years, the price of fame was too much.

Britain’s first Miss World, Rosemarie Frankland, had a tragic end. An 18-year-old Marks & Spencer shop worker when she won in 1961, Rosemarie died aged just 57 from a drug overdose in 2000 in a shabby Los Angeles flat.

A 20-year affair with Bob Hope, two broken marriages and a short-lived acting career, which included appearing in The Beatles’ 1964 movie A Hard Day’s Night, is said to have left her depressed.

Our third winner, Leslie Langley in 1965, appeared in Bond film Goldfinger and Doctor Who, then quit showbusiness to be a dental nurse.

Welsh beauty queen Helen Morgan held the title for just four days in 1974, stepping down when it was revealed she was an unmarried mother with an 18-month-old son — somewhat more scandalous in the 1970s — and that a woman intended to name her in a divorce case.

The previous year’s winner, American Marjorie Wallace, was stripped of her title after a fling with singer Tom Jones.

In 1980, German Gabriella Brum quit after 18 hours when adult images emerged.

The last Brit to win was Sarah-Jane Hutt in 1983. Since then attitudes have softened over the years. Miss UK Nicola Willoughby was allowed to stay in the competition in 1999, even though topless photos were published.

Last year Miss England, Milla Magee, quit the show because she felt it treated her “like a prostitute”.

Now this year’s Miss England, 21-year-old Grace — a performing arts graduate from Leicestershire — is in a strong position to take the crown and sash in Vietnam.

The first openly gay Miss England, who has revealed that she was cruelly bullied over her appearance at school, was set to perform a ballet dance in the talent round, but broke her foot just a week after entering the event.

Luckily she had a back-up talent and secured her place among the Top 40 quarter-finalists by wowing judges with her rendition of the song Never Enough, from the 2017 film The Greatest Showman.

These days, it seems, talent and brains are as important as looks in the Miss World contest, and you will find biochemists and world-class dancers among the women strutting their stuff at the finals.

Since contest founder Eric Morley died in 2000 it has been run by his widow Julia, 86, who has introduced the concept of Beauty With A Purpose — an ideal which means the pageant has raised more than a billion pounds for charity.

It could be seen as a response to critics, who have blasted the pageant on feminist grounds.

One such protest against it came in 1970 when Women’s Liberation activists threw flour bombs at host Bob Hope. BBC One controller Michael Grade removed Miss World from the channel in 1984, claiming it was “verging on the offensive”. It is now available on YouTube.

But former winner Ann thinks it is time to bring back the show, which is still broadcast in more than 180 countries, to British terrestrial television.

Ann, who is still working in Hollywood, says: “Miss World has its critics, but I would do it again tomorrow.

“It was a great stepping stone for me. I travelled the world five times in a year. I met incredible people.”

WINNING WAS JUST THE BEST

By Jamie Pyatt, The Sun’s former Miss World Correspondent

FROM judges storming out of press conferences to the countries who have won it back-to-back, here are ten facts about Miss World . . . 

• Soccer legend George Best was said to have bedded seven Miss World winners, including the US’s Marjorie Wallace in 1973 and Swede Mary Stavin in 1977. But he said in his autobiography: “It was only four. I didn’t turn up for the other three!”
• More than a million women apply every year to take part in the hope of becoming one of the 108 contestants and winning the $1million first prize.
• Miss World is the most watched annual TV event, with more than two billion viewers in 180 countries. In the UK it fell out of favour in the 1980s as feminists claimed it degraded women. Indeed, guests arriving for the 2002 event at London’s Alexandra Palace, including this correspondent, were pelted with human poo.
• The 11 Miss World finalists who have appeared in James Bond movies include the US’s Halle Berry (Die Another Day), Malaysia’s Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies) and the UK’s Carolyn Seaward (Octopussy).
• The UK is one of only three countries to have won Miss World back-to-back – with Sweden in 1951 and 1952, English roses Ann Sidney and Lesley Langley in 1964 and 1965 and India in 1999 and 2000. The last UK contestant to win was Sarah-Jane Hutt in 1983.
• Judges for Miss World have included Sir Bruce Forsyth, Sir Richard Branson, Shirley Bassey, Piers Morgan and Jerry Hall, who famously stormed out of a press conference at Sun City resort in South Africa in 1992. It happened when I asked if she had any comment on her then husband Mick Jagger allegedly being caught cheating on her, after she had warned such a question was “out of bounds”. But it gave me a front-page story and Miss World a great publicity boost!
•  The Miss World crown is the fourth since the contest began and is worth £100,000. It belongs to the Miss World Organisation but each winner gets a replica when she passes her crown to the following year’s winner.
• In 2002 The Sun helped to evacuate more than 80 beauty queens from Nigeria to the UK as riots over the “offensive” contest led to more than 250 deaths. The contest was rescheduled for London.
• The current Miss World is Miss Thailand, Suchata Chuangsri, 22, who is the first Thai to win the contest.
• Final word to George Best, who famously said: “If you’d given me the choice of beating four men and smashing a goal in from 30 yards or going to bed with Miss World, it would have been a difficult choice. Luckily, I had both!”

DETROIT — The Dodgers’ game against the Tigers on Sunday at Comerica Park began in a rain delay.

First pitch was at 11:35 a.m. PDT following a 55-minute delay.

Dodger manager Dave Roberts was anticipating a potential delay a couple hours before the original game time.

“Then it’s supposed to kind of be isolated around 5:30 [2:30 p.m. PDT,]” Roberts said of the storm forecast. “So there is that window 2-5 p.m. [11 a.m.-2 p.m. PDT], that looks promising.”

Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow took the mound opposite Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez.

BERKELEY — Twelve hours after walking offstage at the Greek Theatre on Tuesday night, David Byrne sits down with a cup of coffee on the patio of a tony hillside hotel and admits that he’s starting to get a little misty.

Last night’s concert on the campus of UC Berkeley was one of the remaining few on Byrne’s yearlong world tour after 2025’s “Who Is The Sky?” album. About an hour from now, a bus will pull up to ferry the 74-year-old musician and the dozen or so members of his touring company to the airport for a quick flight to Los Angeles, where they’re set to perform Friday and Saturday nights at the Hollywood Bowl.

“There’s a firepit over there,” Byrne says, pointing across the patio, “so after the show we all sat around and told stories. Everyone’s such a joy to work with — we’re all having a really good time.” He sighs. “That’s kind of rare, actually.”

“Who Is The Sky?,” which Byrne made with the producer Kid Harpoon, contrasts deep lyrics about art, home and enlightenment with bright pop arrangements filled with crisp grooves and singalong melodies. (Kid Harpoon, whose real name is Tom Hull, is known for the hits he’s created with Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus.) In the show, Byrne blends whimsical new tunes like “My Apartment Is My Friend” and “I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party” with jittery oldies by Talking Heads, the hugely influential art-rock band he formed in 1975 with Jerry Harrison, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth.

Yet even when the songs get dark — as in “Life During Wartime,” which comes with images of police violence on the enormous digital screens behind the players — the mood is euphoric: Like Byrne’s previous tour behind 2018’s “American Utopia,” this one has the musicians holding their instruments as they execute choreographed moves on a bare stage; the result is more or less a nonstop dance party. (Also like “American Utopia,” which Spike Lee adapted into an acclaimed concert film, this tour will make its way to movie screens courtesy of “The Brutalist” director Brady Corbet.)

So you can see why Byrne would be sad to see it come to an end, not least because he’s been using his days off to tool around a given town and take pictures of cool local color. At the top of the gig in Berkeley, he showed photos from a hike he’d taken and of a car he’d come across with a tricked-out sound system.

“Any ideas of things to see in L.A.?” he asks me, dressed in a violet-colored chore jacket only a few shades removed from the blue one he wore onstage. “That hike was a workout. Even some of the dancers said those hills were steep.”

“Life During Wartime” was maybe 15% faster last night than the original record.
Could’ve been, yes. You’ll have to ask the drummers — they set the tempo, and they get excited and it kind of ramps up. It’s sometimes hard for me to keep up — I’ve got a lot of words to get out.

I was fortunate to be at Van Halen’s next-to-last show at the Hollywood Bowl, and I remember every song felt insanely fast.
Wonder if that was drugs?

You ever see Van Halen?
Never saw them live. David Lee Roth was a Talking Heads fan — came to visit our rehearsal loft once. I was kind of surprised: “How did you…?”

David Byrne performs at the Coachella festival in April.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Would you say things turned out better or worse than the future you predicted in “Life During Wartime”?
Well, we’re not having a total civil war. There’s maybe still a chance that could happen, but it seems there’s more resistance now than there was before — a sense that we don’t have to just roll over and take all the stuff that’s going on. The footage we got kind of hits home.

You show the video of the guy on the bike pedaling away from ICE agents in Chicago.
That often gets a cheer.

I wondered if it ever doesn’t.
In the United States, no. Seeing the underdog get away — that’s a pretty timeworn story. We didn’t have that video at the beginning of the tour — it didn’t exist. I saw it on some news service, and I thought, oh, this has to lead the whole sequence. When we were first putting the show together, we had more video stuff. But screens are really seductive, so you start looking at that. We said, no, you have to connect with real live people, then you can put it up.

Have you been to the Sphere in Las Vegas?
A bunch of the band and I went to see “Wizard of Oz.” I haven’t seen a band in there. But it was really a lot of fun — quite a spectacle with the video all around you.

Don Henley compares the Eagles’ role there to the organist at a silent movie.
The pit band, yeah. That’s a thing to do — works especially well, I would imagine, for bands like the Eagles and other groups that don’t do a whole lot of song and dance.

At 74, can your body do all the dancing you want to do?
Oh, no. With more physical training, I’d probably be able to do a little more than I can now. But I’m never gonna be able to do what some of the dancers can do.

How about what you used to be able to do?
Like in “Stop Making Sense”? There’s some stuff in there where I go, nope, can’t do that. But I can do other things. I don’t have a feeling that I’m barely getting by.

Are you an exerciser?
I have a person I see in New York. It hasn’t happened so much lately because we’ve been moving around so much. But Sasha [Rivero, from the touring company] leads us through these warm-up exercises before shows — kind of a cross between strength training and yoga.

Beyond the value of staying agile, how do you think about maintaining your looks?
I’m aware it’s a thing. If I came across as old and decrepit, it might be less exciting for some of the audience. Not great for business.

When did your hair go gray?
In the ’90s, I want to say. I dyed it for a while when I started seeing a fair amount of gray coming in. Then at one point I was on holiday with my then-wife and just said, “Let’s cut it off and see what’s under there.” By that point it was pretty much all gray. I was OK with it.

Who’s a performer you admire who’s still out there doing it late in life?
Caetano Veloso — he’s served as a role model for me. He’s someone who’s reinvented himself over and over and over again — done records that are very different than the record before. Even on the same record, he can be really experimental and then do something incredibly romantic.

Can you envision a time when you’d stop performing?
I don’t think so. I can see there might be a point where I don’t do as much dancing around.

I’ve seen Willie Nelson probably half a dozen times in the last 10 years. He sits there and plays, and it’s great.
“My Apartment Is My Friend,” that was inspired by a Willie Nelson song: “Hello Walls.” There’s also a George Jones song, “The Grand Tour,” where he takes you into his place: “This is where she sat, that’s where she put out her cigarette,” all this kind of stuff. I loved that you can make an apartment into a character. So I started putting down ideas, and I realized: Should I reveal that it’s about an apartment right off the bat, or should I wait till the last line of the chorus? Before that, you don’t know — it sounds like a love song. The title gives it away. But Tom, when I said “should I change the title?” he said, “The title’s what got me to listen to the demo.”

If I say that the songs from the new album didn’t come alive for me until the show, how does that strike you?
Good and bad. I wish the record had the same impact that the songs have live. But then I also think to myself: Well, the reason you go to see a live show is because you’re getting something more than you get by just putting a record on.

(Josh Edelson / For The Times)

You’ve been playing for years now with this mobile handheld setup.
I wasn’t sure an audience was gonna go for it. I don’t know why, but I thought it was kind of a big step for an audience to take in.

To not have the traditional rock band stage set.
“Here’s the drummer — we know what he does.” There were people on the last tour who would say, “It’s got to be playback — you’re not really playing it.” So I added an introduction to a song where one by one we introduced the musicians at the beginning of the song, and you could hear how we put it together. An unexpected consequence is that it democratized the whole stage experience for the band members. There’s parts where the drummers come to the front and I go to the back, which you would never have in a regular kind of show where the drummer’s stuck on a riser. Everyone gets to be a star — everyone gets to be recognized as an individual.

Would you say your eagerness to share the spotlight could only have come after years of being the focal point?
I have no idea.

Most of the musicians are pretty young.
Younger than me, anyway.

Why is that important to you?
I learn from them — musically but also personally. I learn about what music they’re listening to, what their experiences have been, what their take on things is. They’re not living in the past — they don’t have nostalgia for the good old days.

In 2023, you spent a fair chunk of time looking back with the rest of Talking Heads for a rerelease of “Stop Making Sense.” Did you enjoy that or grit your teeth through it?
It was fine — it was really nice. As we said over and over, we’re very proud of that show and the music that we did and the film that Jonathan [Demme] made. And that it was going to connect with a completely new generation. Jerry came to the show last night. He lives in Marin.

You guys hang out?
Afterwards, yeah. I mean, he had to drive back. He said he enjoyed it — said it was a good show. I connected him with our keyboard player because the keyboard player came up with these interesting technical things I thought Jerry might be interested in. He has an accelerometer attached to his arm — you don’t see it because his sleeve covers it — where he raises his arm and it increases the volume like a foot pedal on a keyboard.

Tell me about Brady Corbet’s concert movie. He shot it in 70mm.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure why. But Brady made the case, and it wasn’t about bringing people into the theater. He said when you go to 70mm it’s a little bit closer to what your eye experiences.

Talking Heads in Italy in 1982: Tina Weymouth, from left, Jerry Harrison, Chris Frantz and David Byrne.

(Luciano Viti / Getty Images)

This is kind of a cutesy formulation, but I wonder if it’s pushing back on the dominance of vertical video.
Biologically and evolutionary-wise, we experience the world horizontally. We don’t go walking around looking up at the sky — the stuff that’s gonna come get us is somewhere on our eye level.

Jimmy Iovine gave an interview to the New York Times the other day where he said one of the last things he asked AI was about your set list.
He could’ve just asked me.

Iovine was extremely pro-AI in this interview. What’s your vibe?
My vibe is positive and negative. On the positive side, we’ve all heard the hype from Silicon Valley that we’re gonna have medical breakthroughs. The negatives — how could there not be massive job loss? What concerns me is the environmental stuff. The last thing the planet needs is a massive increase in energy usage. We’re talking about the survival of species — of everything that lives on Earth. To ramp up that part of what humans do just seems like the worst possible thing you could do.

The other thing that worries me is that machines aren’t really thinking — they’re probabilistic. This stuff has been designed intentionally to mimic human beings, and we are very, very easily fooled. I think that’s dangerous because we give it agency. We assume all these things about it — we trust it. I mean, people will listen to a political argument from a chatbot more than they will from another person.

Seems bad.
Right?

Any worthwhile creative application you can identify?
I used it a little bit to animate my drawings in one of the sequences from the show. They’re my drawings — I wasn’t taking from anybody else. In that case I feel like it’s a tool that’s very efficient. Might put some animators out of work, but if I had to pay the rate for animators on something like that, it would take a year to do and cost me a fortune.

What if the producer on your next record says, “Hey, here’s a little shortcut we can use”?
We already use little shortcuts — Auto-Tune is one. That’s not AI, but we’ve been using those kinds of tools, and there’s always the danger of overusing them. When people use Auto-Tune a tiny bit, it’s pretty much invisible. But on a lot of records — I’m not talking about the Cher record — it’s a little too perfect, and you start to lose the human connection. So it’s not a clear-cut choice of: Do I use this or not? It’s: Do I get seduced and use it too much?

WASHINGTON — A former White House teleprompter operator accused of using inside knowledge to make bets on the prediction market Kalshi has been ordered to turn over more than $100,000 in profits and pay a $65,000 fine as part of a settlement with federal authorities.

The settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, announced Friday, also dealt Gabriel Perez a three-year trading ban. Perez was placed on unpaid leave from his job at the White House after reports emerged that he used his position to make bets on what President Trump would say in speeches.

The White House did not immediately comment on the settlement. A White House official said in July that Perez was no longer in his position but did not say if he had been fired or resigned.

The commission found that Perez made $107,500 on prediction markets by betting on words and phrases that would appear in Trump’s speeches between December 2025 and February 2026.

“In his position, Perez had access to presidential speeches prior to those speeches being delivered and Perez misappropriated that information — in breach of his duty of trust and confidence,” according to a release from the commission.

Perez was ordered to repay his profits in full, along with the $65,000 civil penalty, which the commission said was a reduction because of his “exemplary cooperation.”

As details emerged July 16, then White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was “unfortunate” and “a disgrace.”

Binkley writes for the Associated Press.

A look at the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland after Week 1:

Rk. School (record) result; Next game; last week’s ranking

1. SANTA MARGARITA (2-0) def. Corona Centennial, 21-20; vs. Palmdale Highland, Friday; 4

2. CORONA CENTENNIAL (1-1) lost to Santa Margarita, 21-20; at Mater Dei, Sept. 11; 1

3. ST. JOHN BOSCO (1-1) def. Philadelphia Roman Catholic, 45-25; at Pittsburg, Friday; 2

4. SIERRA CANYON (2-0) def. Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade, 24-7; vs. Honolulu St. Louis, Sept. 10; 3

5. ORANGE LUTHERAN (1-1) def. San Diego Cathedral, 38-24; vs. Chandler (Ariz.) Basha, Friday; 5

6. MISSION VIEJO (2-0) def. St. Paul, 77-12; at Folsom, Friday; 6

7. MATER DEI (1-0) def. Orem (Utah), 32-26; vs. Corona Centennial, Sept. 11; 7

8. SAN CLEMENTE (2-0) did not play; at Chaparral, Friday; 8

9. RANCHO CUCAMONGA (2-0) def. Oaks Christian, 44-14; at Oak Hills, Thursday; 9

10. CHAPARRAL (1-1) def. San Juan Hills, 31-19; vs. San Clemente, Friday; 10

11 CREAN LUTHERAN (2-0) def. Mira Costa, 31-10; vs. JSerra, Friday; 12

12. CHAMINADE (3-0) def. Valencia, 35-10; at Beaumont, Sept. 11; 13

13. PALOS VERDES (2-0) def. Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore, 21-18; at Carson, Thursday; 14

14. SERVITE (1-1) def. Murrieta Valley, 42-10; vs. Peoria (Ariz.) Centennial, Friday; 16

15. CARSON (2-0) def. Dorsey, 31-8; vs. Palos Verdes, Thursday; 15

16. JSERRA (1-1) def. Long Beach Wilson, 63-0; at Crean Lutheran, Friday; 17

17. DAMIEN (2-0) def. Vista Murrieta, 27-21; at Las Vegas Faith Lutheran, Friday; 18

18. OXNARD PACIFICA (2-0) def. San Diego Lincoln, 52-28; at Hart, Friday; 19

19. EDISON (1-1) lost to Phoenix Pinnacle, 32-28; vs. Corona del Mar, Thursday; 11

20. GARDENA SERRA (1-1) def. L.A. Hamilton, 49-12; at Los Alamitos, Friday; 20

21. BISHOP AMAT (2-0) def. Oak Hills, 22-3; vs. Valencia, Thursday; 21

22. CORONA DEL MAR (2-0) def. Santa Barbara, 37-7; at Edison, Thursday; 22

23. YORBA LINDA (2-0) def. Long Beach Poly, 30-12; vs. El Dorado, Friday; 23

24. WESTLAKE (2-0) def. Agoura, 38-7; vs. Chatsworth, Thursday; 24

25. ST. BONAVENTURE (2-0) def. St. Pius X-St. Matthias, 34-21; vs. Trabuco Hills, Friday; 25

Aug. 30 (UPI) — At least seven people have died following a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus on Sunday, according to media reports.

Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Unal Ustel said 237 out of the 267 on the Filo Jet had been.rescue. He added the 23 people were missing.

None of the rescued were in critical condition, Ustel said.

According to Ustel, the ferry began taking on water 15 minutes amid bad weather after leaving port. The ship put out a call for help soon after, he added.

Turkey’s Interior Ministry said the ship was traveling from Kyrenia in northern Cyprus to Tasucu in Turkey.

Four coastguard ships and four helicopters and a civilian passenger ship were involved in rescue operations, according to the ministry.

It said search and rescue efforts were continuing.

Turkish parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus in a post on X offered condolences to those who died in “this exceedingly tragic incident.”

Foreign, defence ministers and military chiefs from three countries to meet for first time since signing Mecca pact.

Top officials from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan will gather in Istanbul on Monday for their first meeting since signing the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement earlier this month.

Turkish officials said on Sunday that the meeting will be attended by foreign ministers, defence ministers, and chiefs of staff from the three nations.

According to AFP, the Istanbul meeting will formally establish a “political and defence strategic committee” comprised of such national representatives.

Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, quoted by Reuters news agency, said the agenda will cover international security issues, as well as discussions on improving military cooperation and capabilities.

The Mecca agreement forms a collective security pact similar to NATO, under which an attack on one member could be considered an attack on all. The alliance was established following the United States-Israel war on Iran.

Turkiye possesses the second-largest military in NATO, Pakistan is the only nuclear-armed Muslim country, and Saudi Arabia is the world’s leading oil exporter.

In an August interview with Al Jazeera, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Egypt could potentially join the pact.

Bangladesh has also stated it is actively considering joining the agreement. The potential expansion is being closely monitored by India, whose Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, told reporters that New Delhi would take all necessary steps to safeguard its national security.

BBC Vigil is back and a lot has happened since fans last saw DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre.

BBC Vigil fans have been quick to point out an indication of Amy and Kirsten’s relationship status.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from BBC Vigil season three.

As well as the intense international murder investigations, Vigil fans have loved watching the blossoming romance between DCI Amy Silva (played by Suranne Jones) and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie).

The couple have come a long way since they met in series one of the BBC crime thriller, overcoming both personal and professional struggles.

But it didn’t take long before viewers got the update they were waiting for in the debut episode of BBC’s Vigil, which is now ready to stream on BBC iPlayer.

When Amy and Kirsten first appear onscreen, they are in their bedroom with their young son Fergal, Kirsten folding clothes and Amy lying in bed with him.

They lovingly muck about and in a later scene after Kirsten is told she is flying out to Svalbard, she hugs her adopted daughter Poppy.

Before they part ways, Amy and Kirsten share a long embrace and reciprocate their “I love you”.

Fans flocked to X to share their love for this insight into the couple’s home life, with one person writing: “Seeing our #Silvacre ladies being a family with Poppy & Ferg is super lush.”

Another said: “This mutual I love you and hug were perfect”, as fellow fans commented they are “super cute” and have an “amazing bond”.

But these scenes are particularly eye-opening as eagle-eyed viewers have noticed that Amy and Kirsten are wearing rings, indicating that they got married during the three-year hiatus.

A viewer jokingly shared: “Me everytime their rings came on screen trying to get a closer look.”

Quoting Amy who tells the chief of Svalbard’s police to “look after my officer”, a fan said: “One Amy Silva please. That’s the WIFE.”

As someone else commented: “The worry, Poppy, the rings, the little one, the foundations for future arguments…Silvacre is back.”

But it’s not all good news for the happy family as they are now separated as Kirsten ventures to Svalbard to investigate the murder of a British soldier.

So how will Kirsten fare up on the frontline following her maternity leave and when will Amy join her in Norway?

Vigil is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

British far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported to the United Kingdom after his arrest by American immigration authorities.

The Department of Homeland Security said Saturday that Yiannopoulos was returned to his home country Friday after being accused of overstaying after entering the U.S. legally in May 2019. An immigration judge issued a final order of removal July 22 after he failed to show up for an immigration hearing, a Homeland Security spokesperson said.

Yiannopoulos was arrested Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” a Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement.

Yiannopoulos and his representatives did not respond to requests for comment, and he has not posted on the social platform X since Thursday.

Yiannopoulos is a well-known champion of conservative causes and has frequently taken provocative public positions criticizing feminism, Islam and immigrants. He has been especially supportive of President Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement policy, aimed at people in the country illegally.

“Zero immigration for the next 20 years. No ifs, no buts,” Yiannopoulos said on X last year.

Yiannopoulos’ arrest and deportation come amid a nationwide uptick in detentions as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.

In social media posts, the Department of Homeland Security touted Yiannopoulos’ arrest and posted a booking photo of him. It added that it encourages people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily, saying the U.S. offers “$3,000 and a free flight to self-deport.”

“We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return,” the department said.

Collins writes for the Associated Press.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

(Games at 7 p.m. unless noted)

THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE

CITY SECTION

Nonleague

Angelou at Maywood CES

Arroyo at Sylmar

Bell at Eagle Rock

Belmont at Monroe

Canoga Park at Verdugo Hills

Crenshaw at Los Angeles Hamilton

Fremont at South East

Fulton at Panorama, 3:30 p.m.

Gardena at King/Drew

Grant at Legacy

Hollywood at Dymally, 4 p.m.

Jefferson at Lincoln

Los Angeles ar Taft

Los Angeles Marshall at Bernstein

Los Angeles University at Santee

Mayfair at Marquez

Narbonne at Fairfax

Palisades at Granada Hills

San Fernando at Franklin

Van Nuys at Roybal

Washington Prep at Rivera

Westchester at San Pedro, 7:30 p.m.

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Arrowhead Christian at San Bernardino

Beaumont at Summit

Beckman at Santa Ana

Bloomington at Pacific

Carter at Banning

Chino at Ayala

Claremont at Glendora

Corona del Mar at Edison

Dana Hills at Esperanza

La Canada at Village Christian

Lancaster at Bishop Diego

Loara at Bolsa Grande

Los Osos at Charter Oak

Norte Vista at Santa Ana Foothill

Ocean View at Buena Park

Pasadena Marshall at Santa Fe

Ramona at Hillcrest

Rancho Cucamonga at Oak Hills

Riverside Notre Dame at Cathedral City

Riverside Prep at Antelope Valley

San Dimas at Colony

Shadow Hills at Yucaipa

Temecula Valley at Paloma Valley

Upland at Villa Park

Valencia at Bishop Amat

Valley View at Vista del Lago

Vista Murrieta at Apple Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Webb at Temecula Prep

Westminster at Garden Grove

Xavier Prep at Serrano

INTERSECTIONAL

Boron at Silver Valley

Chatsworth at Westlake

Cleveland at Castaic

Desert Mirage at Mendez

Firebaugh at Los Angeles Jordan

Granada Hills Kennedy at Canyon Country Canyon

Lawndale at Los Angeles Wilson

Los Angeles Roosevelt at Monrovia

Manual Arts at Lynwood

Mayfair at Marquez

Palos Verdes at Carson

Reseda at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel, 7:30 pm.

Royal at Contreras

South El Monte at Garfield

Venice at Harvard-Westlake

Wenatchee (Washington) at Linfield Christian

West Adams at Compton Early College

Wilmington Banning at Long Beach Cabrillo

8-MAN

CITY SECTION

Nonleague

Animo Robinson at Sotomayor

USC Hybrid at East Valley

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Villanova Prep at Coastal Christian

PAL Academy at California School for the Deaf

INTERSECTIONAL

Legacy Christian Academy at Valley Oaks CES

Milken at Mojave, 4 p.m.

Noli Indian at Vista Meridian, 6 p.m.

Sherman Oaks CES at Faith Baptist, 4 p.m.

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Adelanto at Sultana

Alemany at Compton, 6 p.m.

Aliso Niguel at El Toro

Arcadia at La Salle

Arlington at Fontana

Arroyo at Katella

Bassett at Temple City

Big Bear at Glendale

Bishop Montgomery at Simi Valley

Bonita at Western

Bosco Tech at Keppel

Brentwood at Oak Park

Buena at Fillmore

Burbank at Calabasas

Burbank Burroughs at Santa Monica

California at Baldwin Park

Cantwell-Sacred Heart at Nogales

Canyon Country Canyon at Glendale

Capistrano Valley Christian at Laguna Hills

Cerritos at Cerritos Valley Christian

Chaffey at Heritage

Citrus Hill at Arroyo Valley

Coachella Valley at Palm Springs

Compton Centennial at Peninsula, 4 p.m.

Corona at Miller

Covina at Montclair

Crescenta Valley vs/ Golden Valley at Canyon Country Canyon

Damien at Faith Lutheran

Del Sol at Santa Paula

Desert at Desert Christian, 6 p.m.

Dos Pueblos at Santa Barbara

Eisenhower at Cypress

El Dorado at Yorba Linda

El Modena at Tesoro

El Rancho at West Covina

Estancia at Bell Gardens

Etiwanda at Alta Loma

Gabrielino at Azusa

Ganesha at Don Lugo

Garden Grove Pacifica at Anaheim Canyon

Gardena Serra at Los Alamitos

Garey at Sierra Vista

Gahr at Artesia

Glenn at California Military

Grand Terrace at Redlands

Great Oak at Capistrano Valley

Hacienda Heights Wilson at St. Bernard

Hawthorne at West Torrance

Hemet at Rancho Mirage

Heritage Christian at Carpinteria

Highland vs. Santa Margarita at Saddleback College

Hueneme at Oxnard

Huntington Beach at Long Beach Wilson

Irvine University at Portola

JSerra at Crean Lutheran

Kaiser at Granite Hills

Lakeside at Twentynine Palms

La Mirada at Bellflower

La Palma Kennedy at Sunny Hills

La Quinta at Citrus Valley

Littlerock at Viewpoint

Long Beach Jordan at Hesperia

Long Beach Poly at Tustin

Los Amigos at Costa Mesa

Los Altos at Schurr

Loyola at Mira Costa

Marina at Fountain Valley

Millikan at Downey

Mountain View at Hoover, 6 p.m.

Muir at St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy

Murrieta Valley at Cajon

Newbury Park at Arroyo Grande

North Torrance at Mary Star of the Sea

Northview at Torrance

Northwood at Brea Olinda

Norwalk at Pasadena

Ontario at Jurupa Valley

Orange at Elsinore

Orange Vista at Norco

Oxnard Pacifica vs. Hart at College of the Canyons

Palmdale vs. West Ranch at Valencia

Palm Desert at Victor Valley

Paraclete at La Habra

Paramount at Dominguez

Patriot at Canyon Springs

Pioneer at Rancho Alamitos

Placentia Valencia at Rowland

Pomona at Duarte

Rancho Christian at West Valley

Rancho Verde at Murrieta Mesa

Redondo Union at Culver City

Rialto at Desert Hot Springs

Ridgecrest Burroughs at Eastside

Riverside North at Riverside King

Riverside Poly at Redlands East Valley

Rio Hondo Prep at Quartz Hill

Rosemead at El Monte

Rubidoux at Vasquez

Saddleback at Montebello

Salesian at La Serna

San Clemente at Chaparral

San Gabriel at South Pasadena

San Jacinto Valley Academy at Desert Christian Academy

San Juan Hills at Chino Hills

San Marcos at Channel Islands

Santa Ana Valley at Garden Grove Santiago

Santa Rosa Academy at Indian Springs

Saugus at Camarillo

Savanna at Century

Segerstrom at Barstow

Silverado at Corona Santiago

Sonora at Walnut

South Hills at Diamond Ranch

South Torrance at El Segundo

St. Anthony at St. Margaret’s

St. Francis at Crespi

Tahquitz at Moreno Valley

Temescal Canyon at Jurupa Hills

Thousand Oaks at Agoura

Trabuco Hills at St. Bonaventure

Troy at Fullerton

Ventura at Lakewood

Western Christian at Maranatha

Westminster La Quinta at Godinez

Whittier at St. Paul

Whittier Christian at Ontario Christian

Woodbridge at Irvine

Workman at La Puente

Yucca Valley at Colton

INTERSECTIONAL

Anza Hamilton at Tri-City Christian

Bakersfield Liberty at Oaks Christian

Beverly Hills at Army-Navy

Cathedral at Sacramento Grant

Chandler Basha (Arizona) vs. Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College

Chatsworth at Westlake

Desert Mirage at Mendez

Grace ar El Camino Real

Highlands Ranch Valor (Colo.) vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium

Huntington Park at St. Monica, 7:30 p.m.

Inglewood at Gilbert Highland (Ariz.)

Las Vegas Shadow Ridge at Laguna Beach

Leuzinger at San Diego Lincoln

Mira Monte at Nordhoff

Mission Viejo at Folsom

Moorpark at Birmingham

Moreau Catholic at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

Peoria Centennial (Ariz.) vs. Servite at Cerritos College

St. John Bosco at Pittsburg

South Gate at Warren

Torres at Verbum Dei

Victory Christian Academy at Nuview Bridge

8-MAN

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Academy of Careers & Exploration at Calvary Baptist

Cuyama Valley at Laguna Blanca, 3 p.m.

Price at United Christian Academy

INTERSECTIONAL

Chadwick at Mammoth

Coast Union at Laton

Cornerstone Christian at North County St. Joseph Academy

Maricopa at Immanuel Christian

Public Safety Academy at Francis Parker, 6 p.m.

TEACH Tech Charter at Lancaster Baptist

West Shores at Lucerne Valley

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

San Marino at Alhambra

Santa Clara at St. Jeanne de Lestonnac, 6 p.m.

INTERSECTIONAL

Dorsey at Castlemont

8-MAN

CITY SECTION

Nonleague

South LA College Prep at Stella, 12 p.m.

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Cate at Valley Christian Academy, 6 p.m.

Santa Clarita Christian at Hesperia Christian, 6 p.m.

INTERSECTIONAL

California Lutheran at Downey Calvary Chapel, 6 p.m.

Malibu at Orcutt Academy, 2 p.m.

New Designs Watts at Pasadena Poly, 11 a.m.

New Designs University Park at Lighthouse Christian, 6 p.m.

The Federal Communications Commission under Trump has tried to target news outlets for spreading ‘fake’ news.

United States President Donald Trump says he will report a prominent NBC television journalist to the federal agency in charge of regulating broadcast news outlets for “rebuke or punishment”.

In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump took issue with Kristen Welker’s characterisation of his endorsements of electoral candidates as having “mixed results” in the primaries leading up to November’s elections.

“How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given public airwaves?” Trump wrote. He also posted, without any attribution of where he got the data, a chart showing 98 percent of the candidates he endorsed had won their elections.

“Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC,” the Federal Communications Commission, he said.

Welker hosted the 2020 presidential election debate between Trump and former President Joe Biden and currently hosts NBC’s weekly news programme Meet the Press.

‘Crooked networks’

In June, Welker had a one-on-one interview with Trump that ended in a heated exchange as she pressed the Republican president on continuing to claim the Democratic Party had cheated in the 2020 presidential election, in which Biden defeated Trump.

“Your elections are crooked, and you’re crooked, and Meet the Press is crooked and so is ABC and CBS and CNN. You’re one-sided crooked networks,” Trump said shortly before pulling off his microphone and leaving the interview.

Trump, who has long had a tumultuous relationship with those US television news networks, has increasingly threatened to use the FCC to target what he says is false news.

This month, ABC News’s owner, Disney, sued the FCC, saying the agency was conducting an early licence review of eight of the network’s stations, a move that it said was “retaliation” against it. ABC said the FCC was seeking “a media industry too fearful of official reprisal to report the news freely”.

The review followed a row between the network and the FCC after Trump and his wife Melania called on it to fire late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke he had made about her.

President Trump has also filed several multibillion-dollar civil lawsuits against news outlets alleging defamation. Last year, he filed a $10bn lawsuit against the BBC, which he said unfairly edited a clip of him speaking just before his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, to make it seem like he had called for violence.

Trump sued The New York Times for $15bn and The Wall Street Journal for $10bn, alleging defamation over reporting on issues such as how he amassed his wealth and his relationship to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A judge threw out the case against The Wall Street Journal. Trump refiled the case against The New York Times after a judge dismissed the first complaint against the newspaper last year.

Attempts to compel reporters to reveal sources

The warning from Trump also comes as his administration has taken the rare step of using the courts to try to pressure journalists into giving up confidential sources for stories that have pointed out wrongdoing.

This month, The New York Times said agents from the FBI showed up at the home of one of its reporters in February to deliver a subpoena seeking cooperation for an investigation into a story that revealed how a secret US Navy SEALs mission in North Korea had ended up with them opening fire on a North Korean boat.

In July, the US Department of Justice also tried to subpoena three other journalists from the newspaper after they reported on security concerns with the president’s new Air Force One jet. Investigators were seeking phone records of the journalists but withdrew the requests after a federal judge upbraided the tactic in court, saying they were violating the First Amendment, a provision in the US Constitution that protects freedom of the press.

Reporters at The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post have also been subpoenaed in recent months for national security coverage, including for reporting on internal Pentagon warnings about the US-Israel war on Iran.

News media freedom groups like the Committee to Protect Journalists have criticised the Trump administration for targeting critical media. In April, the group Reporters Sans Frontieres, or Reporters Without Borders, said the US has fallen to a “historic low” in its annual global press freedom rankings, dropping from 57th in the world to 64th.

Specialised search-and-rescue teams join recovery operations in Nepal and China as floodwaters and severe weather hamper search efforts.

At least 797 people have been killed and 3,048 others remain missing after a glacier collapsed in the Himalayas, sending water and debris tearing through several villages.

Nepal announced an updated death toll of 781 on Sunday, with 2,502 people missing, including 592 foreign nationals. In China, state broadcaster CCTV reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing, including 261 foreigners.

The disaster occurred on Wednesday when part of a glacier at an altitude of roughly 5,200 metres (17,000 feet) collapsed, plunging around 1,200m (3,900ft) and gathering rock and debris before slamming into the Lende River.

Rescue operations have been suspended repeatedly since Friday due to poor weather and fears of fresh flooding. The disaster created a lake across the border between Nepal and China that has begun overflowing into Nepal’s Lhende and Trishuli Rivers.

More than 100 workers are also believed to be trapped inside several hydropower tunnels.

Burials start

Authorities in Nepal began burying some of the victims on Sunday after taking DNA samples to allow for future identification. Many bodies were carried away by the floodwaters, leaving families unable to locate and identify their relatives. Mass burials for hundreds of unidentified victims are taking place in Nepal’s scenic Chitwan district, known for its forests and rivers.

According to the Red Cross, about 90,000 people in Nepal are likely affected by the disaster.

Specialised teams from India, China, and South Korea have joined the search-and-rescue efforts. Malaysia is also deploying its Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance Search and Rescue Team (SMART) and contributing $1m in recovery assistance.

International funding has begun to arrive, with the European Union promising $2.3m on Friday. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has allocated more than $1m and launched an emergency appeal for $31m.

CRUZ Beckham’s festival debut became a sweet family affair as he dedicated a song to his little sister, Harper – who later took to the stage. 

The 21-year-old rocker son of David and Victoria Beckham made his festival debut at Reading and Leeds festivals this weekend with his band, Cruz Beckham and The Breakers.

His proud mum and dad were watching from the side of the stage, with siblings Romeo, 23, and Harper, 15, standing amid the crowd at Reading to watch him play. 

Towards the end of the set, Cruz took a moment to dedicate his track Mr Nobody to the youngest member of the Beckham family.  

“This show is our second to last show on this tour and we’ve had an incredible time,” he told the crowd at The Canopy stage. 

“It’s been amazing seeing everybody and just want to thank you for all the love and all the support. This next song, I’d like to dedicate to my little sister who’s just dancing right there.”

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Harper later joined Cruz’s girlfriend, Jackie Apostel, to make a surprise appearance on stage and throw t-shirts into the crowd. 

After the performance, Cruz shared clips from the set where thousands of revellers were seen cheering the band on. 

He added to the clip on Instagram: “READING oh my god. I have no words. Leeds, let’s do it again today. Thank you thank you thank you” 

The band will perform at Reading’s sister festival Leeds today – with the appearances tying into the release of their EP, Wear & Tear. 

Speaking in the new issue of Dork magazine, Cruz acknowledged why people might be sceptical about his music, but insisted he’s prepared to put in the hard graft to establish his place as a performer. 

“It’s better to be underestimated than overestimated,” he told the mag. 

“I’m glad that people are liking the songs. I’m glad that people are giving me the opportunity. To be honest, I was surprised they even gave me the opportunity in the first place.

“I understand that they would think that everything’s gonna be a bit s**t and a bit too polished.

“But you know, I love music, and I really love playing live, and I’m just excited to be able to do it.”

“My experiences in life have been very different to a lot of people’s experiences, but I still feel like I’ve got something to say,” he added. 

In 1995, issue 34 of Revista Bigott, a Venezuelan publication dedicated to anthropology and popular culture, discussed a resurgence of national sentiment after the 1992 coup attempts. One of its articles argued that a certain “llanero emboldening” of the coup leader, his decision to assume responsibility for what had happened, and the evocation of Simón Bolívar and the tricolor armband had restored appeal to a deeply rooted idea of ​​national identity. The government at the time tried to capitalize on this momentum to save the system, which, in light of what happened afterward, also amounted to saving democracy. But the country was already exhausted. It was burdened by the discrediting of political parties, the hangover from the “Saudi Venezuela” era, the depression that followed the 1983 devaluation known as Black Friday, widespread corruption, low oil prices, and an institutional framework that failed to modernize.

As the reader knows, Hugo Chávez ended up winning the election in 1998, and the joropo, the flags, and the constant singing of the national anthem were reborn, transcending the political debate. Everything then became known as Bolivarian, from the schools to the republic itself. Each campaign was presented as a patriotic epic, a battle, or a slogan borrowed from popular sayings. But with Chávez, the national identity was fractured. The country, the idea of ​​nationhood, and its symbols were hijacked. They belonged solely to his supporters. Just as an attempt was made to create a parallel institutional framework, something similar happened with the symbols: two flags, two coats of arms, and two ways of referring to everything. While the struggle against U.S. imperialism was presented as a heroic feat, the country was mortgaged to other powers and groups in exchange for political favors. Sovereignty was lost, both in terms of territory and the capacity to maintain a functional State serving its citizens.

These parallel structures (one crumbling, the other with feet of clay but relentless in its repression) blurred the boundaries of the republic. The country drowned in corruption and the disappearance of its shared identities. What could it defend? What could a country that expelled millions of its inhabitants and squandered its demographic dividend sound, smell, or taste like? Amid political violence, insecurity, and abuses, the economy shrank by more than half and came to be governed by the law of the strongest or the most connected, while individualism intensified. The country and its virtues became a source of nostalgia for better times or a promise of an uncertain future. The present, meanwhile, faded with bitterness.

Chavismo, in its eagerness to cling to power, also hijacked popular sovereignty. The excuse was that, although the opposition represented the majority, it should not be recognized because it was subservient and unpatriotic. After the theft of the 2024 elections and the US intervention of January 3, it became clear that the only sovereignty that truly matters to Chavismo is that which guarantees its own survival.

With the country dismantled, its people divided, and mired in neglect and impoverishment, Venezuela became the perfect prey for whoever is currently in power. One conclusion emerges from the “mega-agreement” announced by US President Donald Trump and vaguely explained by Delcy Rodríguez: details do matter. As presented, it appears to be a cruel and sad surrender of sovereignty, decided in the dead of night, like so many of the measures announced in recent decades.

The winner and his tyrant take everything—resources and concessions—as if it were a contemporary version of the handover of the Congo to Leopold II. A forced and macabre gift.

But having access to reserves is one thing; knowing how those barrels will be extracted is quite another. The question is what guarantees investors will have and, above all, what the country will receive in return. 

Between what has been announced and its implementation, a vast gap still exists, marked by illegalities and profound incompetence. There is also the risk that Venezuela will continue to replicate the “bolichicos” model, increasingly similar to that of Russia in the late 1990s: a small class of millionaires facing a country mired in impoverishment.

It will be up to oil experts and economists to study the implications of what has been announced, and to historians to review the precedents of similar agreements: the Rojas-Pereire Protocol of 1879, the concessions granted under Gómez, the Rockefeller Plan, or the concessions granted by the Pérez Jiménez dictatorship in 1956. For now, all we know is that the US administration is determined to embody everything its harshest critics have always held against it. Chavismo, for its part, is determined to become everything it claimed the opposition would be, whose rise to power it said it would prevent to “protect” Venezuela, even at the cost of violating human rights and disregarding popular sovereignty.

The situation compels us to reach agreements as a society, promote genuine democratization, and reclaim our sovereignty, understood as the collective exercise of autonomy and freedoms. If we fail to do so, we will remain subject to the circumstances and interests of others, instead of acting in accordance with our own interests. 

The outlook is not promising, but two questions remain: What future validity will any agreement signed with the regime currently governing Venezuela have? And what will the state of the planet be when Trump’s term ends on January 20, 2029?

Aug. 30 (UPI) — NASA used SpaceX‘s Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope into space Sunday for a 1 million-mile journey to study some of the universe’s deepest secrets.

The rocket launched at 7:26 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Falcon Heavy rocket separated 31 minutes into the flight and returned back to the launch site for later reuse.

There had been a 60% chance of favorable weather for the launch.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the launch of the telescope “exactly the kind of success story we want to see across NASA.”

“Delivered ahead of schedule and on budget, this mission reflects more than a decade of dedication from the NASA workforce and our industry partners. Now, Roman will give us a new atlas of the universe, push the boundaries of discovery, and demonstrate what is possible when America’s space program pairs bold ambition with disciplined execution.”

NASA said the telescope deployed its solar panels and lower instrument sun shade 1 hour and 23 minutes after launch. In the coming days, it will also deploy its high-gain antenna and a visor-like deployable aperture cover, perform two course corrections, and power on the Coronagraph Instrument.

In a few weeks, the telescope’s Wide Field Instrument — an infrared camera considered to be its primary instrument — will activate.

The Roman Space Telescope will travel 1 million miles in three months to reach its final orbit, a location called the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point. There, it’s expected to rapidly scan the sky and survey the universe about 1,000 times faster than the Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA said it expects to release its first images from the Roman Space Telescope in early 2027.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney supports a new global defense bank called the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), which aims to help allied countries rearm. The bank is looking to raise around €100 billion ($116 billion) to provide low-cost loans to governments and defense contractors for military projects. It will also guarantee loans for smaller, riskier firms. So far, Canada, along with Albania, Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine, has expressed support for the initiative.

As of August, the DSRB had secured about €5 billion in commitments but aims for €20 billion in paid-in capital and an additional €80 billion available when necessary. However, major economies like Germany and Britain have not yet committed, which raises concerns about the DSRB’s ability to achieve the triple-A credit rating necessary for the lowest funding costs. Experts suggest that the participation of larger governments is essential to impress ratings agencies. Some potential members are hesitant about whether the DSRB can offer better financing terms than national governments, given their own budget limitations and existing commitments in similar initiatives.

Canada is actively engaging other countries ahead of the charter signing planned for autumn. DSRB founder Rob Murray emphasized the need for rearmament to address increasing security threats. He noted that many European nations are raising defense spending but are not close to meeting NATO’s targets. Carney has called for cooperation among middle powers to respond to what he sees as a changing world order.

The DSRB aims to provide funding for defense investments separate from current national debts but needs further backing to be impactful. Major European countries already have access to cheap borrowing but joining the DSRB would allow their domestic contractors to benefit from its funding. Some officials have raised concerns about overlap with existing financing programs like the EU’s SAFE program and Britain’s proposed Multilateral Defence Mechanism. There are worries about the upfront capital required for DSRB membership and the selection process for projects, as larger countries might need to contribute around €1 billion.

Murray highlighted that contributions could be spread over three years, and the DSRB could provide a more stable financing avenue for defense than existing programs. He stressed that increasing defense spending could lead to technology improvements, job creation, and economic growth while enhancing deterrence.

Canada hopes that under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Britain might reconsider its initial rejection of the DSRB, which was based on concerns over value for money. Burnham’s defense minister has described the DSRB as an innovative mechanism. If Britain joins, it may influence Germany’s decision to participate as well. Currently, Germany has been observing discussions but has not committed.

Industry groups in Britain and Germany are urging their governments to join the DSRB, fearing exclusion from projects financed by the bank. The DSRB has received about $10 million in support from various banks to help establish itself, and its proponents claim it is on track to achieve a high credit rating. Canada is willing to move forward with the current supporters, leaving room for other countries to join later, which could help secure the desired credit rating. The support of core shareholders is crucial for the creditworthiness of multilateral institutions.

With information from Reuters

IRVINE — Olivia Rodrigo bridged generations Saturday night as the headlining act at her Daisy Chain Fields festival, where the 23-year-old pop star brought Stevie Nicks, Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette to the stage for duets that demonstrated the enduring value of sharp, smart songwriting about women’s emotional lives.

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With McLachlan, Rodrigo sang “Building a Mystery” and “Angel,” which the two dedicated to Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at age 80; with Morissette (who filled in for a missing Karen O), Rodrigo did the former’s iconic mid-’90s hit “Ironic.” Later, Nicks came out to close the show with a duet of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” inspiring a mass singalong in the audience of approximately 45,000 at Great Park Live. After the song, Nicks stuck around to deliver an apparently extemporaneous tribute to Rodrigo’s artistry and activism that seemed to push the younger singer close to tears.

Irvine, CA – August 29, 2026: Olivia Rodrigo performs during Daisy Chain Fields at The Great Park on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026 in Irvine, CA.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

Held a few months after the release of Rodrigo’s third studio album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,” Daisy Chain Fields offered 10 hours of music by all women acts, including Chappell Roan, Doechii, Bikini Kill, Garbage, Not for Radio, the Breeders and Mitski, among others. On Friday, Rodrigo announced that the festival would donate $10 million to an array of organizations working for women’s rights and reproductive justice.

The singer’s headlining set mixed new songs from “You Seem Pretty Sad” — one highlight was “Maggots for Brains,” a euphoric pop-punk jam about going crazy in a lover’s absence — with oldies from her first two LPs, 2021’s Grammy-winning “Sour” and 2023’s triple-platinum “Guts.” Rodrigo also debuted a just-released tune called “Serena Joy,” which she titled after a character in Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

It looked as though Barcelona were not planning to sign another striker in the event of failing to capture Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid, who continue to make a deal extremely difficult.

However, the unexpected availability of Gabriel Jesus has changed Barca’s approach. The Brazilian was not initially part of the club’s plans, but the circumstances surrounding his situation at Arsenal have opened the door to a move.

Barcelona have taken advantage of the fact that he is no longer as prominent in Arsenal‘s squad as he has been, especially with Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres now ahead of him in the pecking order.

With Jesus’ Arsenal contract running until the summer of 2027, the club are willing to consider his departure for a fee rather than losing him on a free transfer next year.

The main question surrounding the move to Barca is Jesus’ injury history. He has suffered significant knee problems during his time at Arsenal. An anterior cruciate ligament injury to his left knee, suffered in January 2025, kept him out for 10 months.

None of these necessarily means Barcelona will abandon their long-term interest in Alvarez.

Following Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres’ departures from the club, Barcelona wanted to add a natural centre-forward to their attacking options. Jesus offers something different from a traditional number nine, with his ability to operate across the front line and contribute to the build-up making him an attractive option for Hansi Flick.

If the deal is completed, Flick will be adding a highly experienced forward to his squad. Jesus made 27 appearances for Arsenal last season in all competitions, scoring six goals, while his six-season spell at Manchester City produced 236 appearances and 95 goals.

For Barca, the move represents a relatively low-cost opportunity to add experience, versatility and Premier League pedigree to their attack.

This article is part of a series in which we speak to individuals who – due to a unique job, location or experience – share an insight they wish others could know.

What’s the one thing people should know? We’re all thinking differently about the same thing.

As a child, Constantina Makridakis, a 28-year-old jewellery designer from Greece, thought everyone could taste voices and names.

Her father’s name, Nicholas, tasted like caramel-coated chocolate, while her mother’s name, Maria, was pasta with prawns.

The tastes were usually pleasant; the name Paul, a rich chocolate liquor, was particularly delicious.

“I thought everyone had this ability,” she explained. “It seemed natural to me. We talk from our mouth, so it made sense [that] we also taste names and voices … it seemed connected to me, so I didn’t ask anyone about this.”

That was until one day in her late teens, when her sister, Amelia, whose name tasted sweet – often in the form of syrup or jam – told her about a documentary on synaesthesia.

After watching it, Makridakis realised she had a form of synaesthesia, a perceptual phenomenon in which sensory experience triggers another.

Music as colours

The experience of synaesthesia can vary significantly. For example, American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish experiences the names of days of the week as colours, numbers and shapes.

Hungarian composer Franz Liszt is also believed to have been a synesthete, experiencing musical notes as colours. In 1842, he is said to have confused musicians in the Weimar orchestra when he instructed them, “Gentlemen, a little bluer, if you please!”

Janina Neufeld, a researcher at the Centre of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND) in Sweden, said that although it may seem surprising for non-synesthetes to hear about Makridakis’s experience, most of us can relate if we think about our own internal sensory associations.

“When we listen to music, most people can relate to the idea that sounds could be brighter, smaller or higher up in space … this is to some extent what a synesthete perceives,” she said.

It is estimated that 2 to 4 percent of the world’s population experiences some form of synaesthesia, although the true number may be higher, Neufeld said. Like Makridakis, many do not realise they have it – or that their experiences are unusual.

Neufeld herself experiences a form of spatial sequence synaesthesia, a milder variation that some people may have without realising. At KIND’s offices in Stockholm, she explained her version by closing her eyes and outlining a circle in the air with her finger, which she described as a full year.

On the circle, which she said exists in her “inner space” or mind, the year starts at the bottom of an undulating sphere, which she described as looking like a roller coaster track, and goes counterclockwise, with some months, such as December, longer than others.

Exploring the brain

How synaesthesia works on a neurological level is not yet fully understood, Neufeld explained.

One leading theory suggests that synesthetes may experience less “synaptic pruning” during childhood, a process in which neurons and synapses that are not needed are removed. For example, a child may strengthen the synapses related to a parent’s voice but prune those related to strangers, reinforcing useful connections and removing redundant ones.

The idea is that this pruning process is less extensive for people with synaesthesia, allowing extra cross‑sensory connections to remain. Neufeld, who has studied Makridakis’s case, said researchers have found strong evidence that sensory regions of people who experience synaesthesia exhibit more brain activation and increased interaction between different brain regions.

‘We see different things’

Makridakis said her synaesthesia can be over-stimulating at times. For example, if she is watching a film and an actor’s voice tastes like orange juice, she can find herself distracted by that sensory connection.

It can also lead to unhealthy temptations. The American accent tastes like Coca-Cola, which means when she is in the United States, she can find herself craving the sugary soft drink.

US President Donald Trump’s voice and name taste like melted cheddar cheese to Makridakis, while British actor Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the popular film series, tastes like chocolate milk, while US hip-hop star Eminem’s voice tastes like Cheetos.

Overall, though, Makridakis is fascinated by her perceptions and feels that if synaesthesia is studied more, it could lead to a deeper understanding of the human mind.

At times, she has flirted with the idea that synaesthesia could hold some spiritual meaning, especially since she can also experience a form in which a colour can shimmer around people. Her sister, for example, appears sometimes with a dark green halo around her.

If there is one thing non-synesthetes can learn from her experience, she said, it is that “we’re all thinking differently about the same thing”.

“We should always remember that everyone’s mind is completely different. We could say that the same colour is red; we could call it red, but we see different things,” she said.

Neufeld echoed this sentiment.

“Usually we think that everyone perceives the world similarly … we think sensory inputs are perceived the same, but synaesthesia shows there is more to the sensory experience; there are also a lot of internal associations and experiences that can be very rich,” she explained.

“Synaesthesia illustrates perfectly how differently we actually perceive the world.”

Other articles in the series: